LINCOLN  ROOM 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 


MEMORIAL 

the  Class  of  1901 

founded  by 

HARLAN  HOYT  HORNER 

and 
HENRIETTA  CALHOUN  HORNER 


REMINISCENCES  AND  SOUVENIRS 


OF 


THE   ASSASSINATION   OF 


ABRAHAM   LINCOLN 


J.  E.  BUCKINGHAM,  SR. 


WASHINGTON  : 
PKBSS  OF  RUFUS  H.  DARKY 

1894. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1894,  l>y 

J.  E.  BUCKINGHAM,  Sn. 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress. 


3 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  tragic  story  of  the  assassination  of  President 
Lincoln  is  briefly  told  in  the  following  pages,  mainly 
from  the  lips  of  those  who  were  incidentally  connected 
with  it,  and  the  idea  was  entertained  by  Mr.  John  E. 
Buckingham  that  the  new  generation  would  be  glad  to 
read  it  in  a  condensed  form. 

The  illustrations  of  the  actors  in  that  fearful  drama, 
the  building  in  which  it  was  enacted  and  the  relics 
which  are  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Buckingham  add 
greatly  to  the  interest  of  the  little  volume,  and  it  was 
chiefly  to  present  these  in  collected  form  that  the  nar- 
rative was  written. 

That  the  public  may  look  with  favor  upon  the  venture 
and  with  the  assurance  that  the  accuracy  of  the  facts 
presented  cannot  be  questioned,  is  the  earnest  hope  of 
Mr.  Buckingham. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER.  PAGE. 

I.     BOOTH'S  FATAL  BULLET 7 

II.     SURGEON-GENERAL  BARNES'  THRILLING  EXPERIENCE 19 

III.  EXECUTION  OF  THE  CONSPIRATORS 25 

IV.  PAYNE,  WHO  ATTEMPTED  TO  KILL  SECRETARY  SEWARD--  39 
V.     JOHN  WILKES  BOOTH    THE  MOVING  SPTIUT  OF  THE  CON- 
SPIRACY   47 

VI.     RELICS  OF  THE   TRAGEDY  IN   POSSESSION    OF  MR.  BUCK- 
INGHAM  .- 59 

VII.     BOOTH'S  ESCAPE  AND  CAPTURE 62 

VIII.     MAJOR  RATHBONE'S  AFFIDAVIT 73 

IX.    A  BUILDING  THAT  HAS  A  TRAGIC  HISTORY 77 

X     RELICS  OF  MR.  LINCOLN- .  84 


LINCOLN  SOTJVBNIRS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

BOOTH'S    FATAL    BULLET. 

saddest  and  at  the  same  time  the  most  roman- 
i  tic  incident  in  the  history  of  this  country  was 
the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln,  which 
took  place  on  the  14th  of  April,  1865.  The  crime  was 
committed  shortly  after  ten  o'clock  at  night,  in  Ford's 
Theater,  which  was  located  on  Tenth  Street,  in  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.,  and  the  man  who  fired  the  fatal  shot  was 
John  Wilkes  Booth. 

Those  who  were  at  the  theater  on  that  occasion  will 
never  forget  the  shock  that  for  an  instant  paralyzed 
every  energy  in  the  vast  audience  as  the  sound  of  the 
shot  fell  upon  their  ears  and  they  then  saw  a  man  leap 
from  the  box  in  which  the  President  was  seated,  brand- 
ishing a  long  knife  in  his  hand.  As  he  struck  the 
stage  he  hissed  between  his  clenched  teeth  the  words 
"  Sic  Semper  Tyrannis,"  and  then  rushing  back  behind 
the  scenes  disappeared.  It  all  happened  in  a  moment 
and  the  realization  of  what  had  taken  place  only  came 
with  the  explanation  of  Major  Rathbone,  who  was  in 
the  box  with  the  Executive  party,  that  the  President 
had  been  shot. 

Those  who  were  in  the  immediate  front  rows  of  the 
orchestra  were  the  first  to  comprehend  the  crime  that 
had  been  actually  committed  and  many  made  a  rush  for 


LINCOLN   SOUVENIRS. 


FIUST    BAPTIST   CHUllCII,    AFTEUWAUDS   FOKD'S   THEATER. 


BOOTH'S    FATAL    BULLET.  9 

the  stage  in  order  to  capture  or  detain  the  assassin. 
Mr.  William  Withers,  who  was  the  leader  of  the  orches- 
tra, was  the  first  to  come  within  reaching  distance  of 
Booth,  and  to-day  he  has  among  his  effects  a  dress  coat 
bearing  the  cuts  across  the  sleeve  and  breast  which 
were  made  by  Booth's  knife  on  that  fatal  night.  The 
plans  of  the  assassin  had  been  too  well  laid  ;  he  had  his 
trained  assistants  in  waiting  ;  he  reached  the  alley  in 
the  rear,  leaped  upon  his  horse  and  fled  across  the  Navy 
Yard  bridge  accompanied  by  Herold,  who  was  one  of 
the  conspiring  party. 

The  crime  was  committed  at  a  time  when  the  war 
was  over,  when  all  the  Southern  armies  had  sur- 
rendered and  when  the  nation  was  looking  forward  to 
peace ;  and  every  one  was  thankful  that  the  long  and 
bloody  contest  for  the  supremacy  of  the  Union  was 
over.  Had  it  occurred  during  the  heat  of  excitement 
while  the  war  was  going  on  it  would  not  have  struck 
the  nation  witfi  such  peculiar  force.  But,  coming  as 
it  did,  at  a  time  when  men's  passions  should  have  been 
quiet,  it  sent  a  thrill  of  horror  throughout  the  entire 
length  and  breadth  of  the  land.  Had  the  assassin 
been  one  who  had  lost  fortune,  or  kinsmen,  or  friends, 
by  the  war  and  who  had  worked  himself  into  the  be- 
lief that  he  had  been  peculiarly  wronged,  there  might 
have  been  a  shadow  of  an  excuse  for  the  crime,  but  it 
was  a  man  who  was  an  actor,  who  w*s  not  interested 
particularly  in  politics,  upon  whom  honor  and  fame 
had  been  bestowed  by  the  people  of  the  North  in  his 
professional  career  and  who,  by  his  winning  person- 
ality, had  made  a  wide  circle  of  acquaintances  and  had 
received  many  social  attentions.  Booth  was  the  very 


10 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


FOKD'S  TIIKATEK. 


BOOTH'S    FATAL    BULLET.  11 

last  man  that  his  friends  would  have  believed  capable 
of  committing  such  a  crime.  The  actual  impelling 
motive  must  ever  remain  a  secret.  The  most  chari- 
table construction  to  be  put  upon  his  act  is  that  he  had 
so  brooded  upon  what  he  considered  the  wrongs  of  the 
South  that  his  mind  had  become  unbalanced,  and  he 
proposed  to  play  the  part  of  Brutus  and  rid  the  Repub- 
lic of  the  man  whom  he  considered  to  be  its  Caesar. 

The  man  who  saw  more  of  Booth  on  that  fatal  14th 
of  April  night  before  he  committed  the  crime,  was  Mr. 
John  E.  Buckingham,  who  was  then  the  Doorkeeper 
at  Ford's  Theater.  Mr.  Buckingham,  or  "Buck"  as 
he  is  familiarly  known  by  his  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances, has  been  associated  with  theaters  all  his  life. 
He  was  born  in  Baltimore,  in  January,  1828,  and  when 
a  boy  became  a  call-boy  in  the  old  Front  Street  Thea- 
ter. From  there  he  gradually  rose  until  he  went  to  the 
front  of  the  house  to  take  tickets,  and  he  is  probably 
to-day  the  oldest  and  certainly  the  most  respected 
ticket  taker  in  the  United  States.  From  the  Front 
Street  Theater  he  went  to  the  Baltimore  Museum  and 
then  to  the  Holliday  Street  Theater  in  that  city,  and  he 
came  to  Washington  in  1861  to  work  at  his  trade,  that 
of  a  carpenter,  in  the  Navy  Yard.  As  soon  as  he  came 
here,  Mr.  John  T.  Ford  desired  to  secure  his  services 
at  his  theater  in  Washington  and  he  accepted  the 
offer.  The  theater  on  Tenth  Street,  in  which  the  assas- 
sination was  committed,  had  formerly  been  a  church 
and  was  altered  into  a  theater  in  the  early  part  of  the 
war.  It  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1863  and  had  been 
rebuilt  and  very  handsomely  decorated  not  many  months 
before  the  assassination.  Mr.  Buckingham  was  the 


12 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


JOHN   T.    FOUD. 


BOOTH'S    FATAL    BULLET.  13 

doorkeeper,  and  on  that  fatal  night  he  says  that  Booth 
came  in  and  out  of  the  theater  five  times  before  he 
finally  committed  the  crime. 

"  In  looking  back  over  the  occurrences  now,"  says 
Mr.  Buckingham  in  speaking  of  the  event,  "  I  can  see 
that  Booth  must  have  been  under  great  stress  of  ex- 
citement, although  his  actions  did  not  seem  to  me  at 
that  time  to  be  at  all  strange.  He  was  naturally  a 
nervous  man  and  restless  in  his  movements.  I  remem- 
ber he  first  came  in  and  said  as  he  took  hold  of  two  of 
my  fingers,  'What  time  of  night  is  it?'  I  told  him 
to  step  into  the  lobby  and  there  he  could  see  the  clock. 
Next,  he  came  and  asked  me  to  give  him  a  chew  of 
tobacco,  which  I  readily  did.  Afterwards  I  went  into 
the  saloon  just  below  the  theater  to  get  a  drink,  and 
Booth  was  there  drinking  brand}7.  I  went  back  to  the 
door  and  he  soon  came  again.  He  passed  into  the 
house  and  stood  a  moment  looking  at  the  audience, 
and  then  went  out  again.  Shortly  afterwards  he  re- 
turned and  passed  in  and  around  upstairs  into  the 
balcony,  humming  a  tune.  I  did  not  see  where  he  went 
at  the  time,  for  I  was  engaged  in  putting  my  checks  in 
a  little  closet  that  I  had  there,  and  was  so  occupied 
when  I  heard  the  pistol  shot.  I  turned  just  in  time  to 
see  him  leap  to  the  stage,  although  for  a  moment  I  did 
not  recognize  the  man  as  Booth.  It  was  only  when 
he  raised  himself  and  gave  utterance  to  the  words, 
'Sic  Semper  Tyrannis,'  that  I  discovered  it  was  John 
Wilkes  Booth. 

"No  one,"  continued  Mr.  Buckingham,  "  can  picture 
the  horror  and  excitement  that  took  possession  of  that 
audience.  Everybody  jumped  to  their  feet,  ladies 


14 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIKS. 


FORD'S  THEATRE 


Friday  Evening.  April  14th.  1865 


LAST  NIGHT 


MR.  JOHN  DYOTT 

MR.  HAER7  HAWK. 

TOM  TAILORS  COEBIUTQ!  LCCEHTUC  CCJttDT. 


"    OUR  AMERICAN 

COUSIN 


BENEFIT  of  Miss  JENNIE  GOTOLAY 


EDWIN  ADAMS 


COPT  OF   THE  ORIGINAL  PROGRAM. 


BOOTH'S    FATAL    BULLET.  15 

screamed  and  fainted,  men  cried  '  Stop  him  ! '  and  sev- 
eral jumped  to  the  stage  in  their  endeavor  to  prevent 
Booth's  escape.  Finally  ex-Mayor  Wallack,  who  was 
standing  on  the  sidewalk  in  front  of  the  theater,  was 
asked  to  come  in  and  request  the  people  to  retire.  He 
did  so  willingly,  begging  them  to  retire  as  quietly  and 
as  speedily  as  possible.  In  this  way  the  theater  was 
emptied,  and  then  attention  was  turned  to  Mr.  Lincoln, 
whose  head  had  fallen  forward,  and  who  was  evidently 
unconscious  and  breathing  stertorously.  Mr.  Lincoln 
and  his  party  occupied  two  boxes  on  that  occasion  and 
the  partition  between  them  had  been  taken  out  so  that 
practically  it  was  one  large  box.  In  one  compartment 
sat  Mr.  Lincoln  and  Miss  Harris,  the  daughter  of  Sen- 
ator Ira  Harris,  of  New  York,  and  in  the  other  were  Mrs. 
Lincoln  and  Major  Rathbone.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  uncon- 
scious and  Miss  Laura  Keene  went  up  into  the  box  and 
took  his  head  upon  her  lap  and  held  it  while  an  exam- 
ination was  made  by  some  physician — I  don't  remember 
who — who  happened  to  be  in  the  audience,  as  to  the 
character  of  the  wound.  It  was  found  that  the  bullet 
had  gone  through  one  of  the  cervical  vertebrae  and 
lodged  in  the  brain,  and  that  the  injury  was  necessa- 
rily fatal.  He  was  then  taken  across  the  street  to  the 
house  of  a  Mr.  Petersen  and  Surgeon-General  Barnes 
was  sent  for. 

"Personally  I  cannot  tell  of  any  of  the  subsequent 
events  in  regard  to  Mr.  Lincoln  on  that  night,  I  was 
so  busily  engaged  in  looking  out  for  myself.  The  the- 
ater was  immediately  taken  possession  of  by  United 
States  troops  and  a  guard  placed  at  every  entrance.  I 
know  it  was  months  after  that  before  I  had  returned 


16 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


JOSEPH    S.    SESSFOKD,    TICKET   SELLER,    FORD'S   THEATER. 


BOOTH'S   FATAL   BULLET.  17 

to  me  an  overcoat  that  I  had  left  in  the  theater,  and 
then  it  was  in  such  a  condition,  although  it  was  com- 
paratively a  new  garment,  that  I  gave  it  away  to  a  col- 
ored man." 

Mr.  Joseph  Sessford,  who  was  in  the  ticket  office  of 
Ford's  Theater  on  the  night  of  the  assassination,  re- 
members distinctly  the  manner  of  Booth  and  of  his 
coming  into  the  theater  and  going  out  again  several 
times  during  the  evening.  He  can  tell  many  anecdotes 
of  the  man  whose  ability  was  great  as  an  actor  but 
whose  awful  crime  has  left  only  obloquy  upon  a  name 
that  is  otherwise  honored.  Mr.  Sessford  corroborates 
Mr.  Buckingham  in  regard  to  Booth's  actions  just  pre- 
vious to  his  entering  the  private  box  and  firing  the  fatal 
shot. 


18 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


PRESIDENT   ABRAHAM   LINCOLN. 


CHAPTER  II. 

SURGEON-GENERAL  BARNES'  THRILLING  EXPERIENCE. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  conspiracy  embraced 
not  only  the  assassination  of  Mr.  Lincoln  but  the  death 
of  every  member  of  his  Cabinet,  and  on  that  same  14th 
of  April,  1865,  the  attempt  was  made  by  Payne  to  kill 
Secretary  Seward,  who  lived  then  in  the  house  on  Fif- 
teen-and-a-half Street,  more  recently  famous  as  the 
residence  of  James  G.  Elaine  and  in  which  that  states- 
man died. 

Surgeon-General  Barnes,  who  was  sent  for  as  soon  as 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  removed  from  the  theater  to  the  Peter- 
sen  house,  had  a  thrilling  experience  that  night.  He 
had  been  over  to  the  house  of  his  friend,  Chief  Justice 
Cartter,  who  lived  about  the  middle  of  the  square  on  H 
Street,  between  Fifteenth  Street  and  Vermont  Avenue, 
playing  whist.  A  little  before  10  o'clock  a  man  came 
hurriedly  to  the  door  asking  if  Surgeon-General  Barnes 
was  there  and  saying  that  he  was  wanted  immediately 
at  Secretary  Seward's.  The  man  said  that  he  had  been 
to  General  Barnes'  house  and  had  ascertained  from  there 
where  the  Surgeon-General  was.  General  Barnes,  on 
questioning  him  as  to  the  matter  with  Secretary  Sew- 
ard, was  told  that  a  man  had  attempted  to  kill  him  and 
had  severely  cut  him  in  the  face,  arms  and  body  with  a 
knife. 

General  Barnes  immediately  went  right  around  the 
corner  to  Mr.  Seward's  house  and  was  accompanied  by 
Justice  Cartter.  When  he  reached  the  Secretary's  side 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


MRS.     LINCOLN. 


GENERAL    BARNES'    THRILLING    EXPERIENCE.  21 

he  found  him  very  much  exhausted  by  the  shock  of 
the  encounter  he  had  had  with  Payne  and  by  the  blood 
which  he  had  lost  from  the  wounds  made  by  the  knife 
of  the  would-be  assassin.  General  Barnes  immediately 
commenced  dressing  Mr.  Seward's  wounds,  in  which  he 
was  aided  by  Justice  Cartter.  and  had  nearly  completed 
his  work  when  a  carriage  drove  up  to  the  door  and  the 
bell  was  violently  pulled.  Judge  Cartter  himself  went 
to  the  door  and  there  found  a  night-liner,  driven  by  a 
man  whom  he  well  knew,  who  gave  him  the  informa- 
tion that  the  President  had  been  shot  at  Ford's  Theater, 
and  had  been  taken  to  a  house  across  the  street,  and 
that  he  had  been  sent  for  to  bring  General  Barnes  to 
his  bedside.  The  man  said  he  had  been  to  General 
Barnes'  house  where  he  had  learned  that  he  was  at 
Judge  Cartter's,  and  that  on  going  there  he  had  been 
informed  that  he  had  gone  around  to  Secretary  Sew- 
ard's. The  servant  at  Judge  Cartter's  house  had  told 
the  driver  that  Mr.  Seward  had  been  all  cut  to  pieces,, 
and  was  dying,  and  the  man  was  thoroughly  fright- 
ened. 

Judge  Cartter  went  to  Mr.  Seward's  room  and  calling 
General  Barnes  aside  told  him  of  the  shooting  of  Mr. 
Lincoln  and  how  imperative  it  was  that  he  should  at 
once  go  to  the  bedside  of  the  wounded  Chief  Magis- 
trate. Mr.  Seward's  son  and  faithful  attendant  were 
briefly  informed  of  the  circumstances  and  then  General 
Barnes  and  Judge  Cartter  went  to  the  carriage  in  front 
of  the  house.  After  they  had  got  in  Judge  Cartter  told 
the  driver  not  to  spare  his  horses  but  to  drive  at  the 
topmost  speed.  The  man  was  so  thoroughly  frightened 
that  he  positively  declared  that  he  was  afraid  to  drive 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


GENERAL    BARNES'    THRILLING   EXPERIENCE.  23 

down  by  the  theater.  He  said  he  wouldn't  drive  into 
that  crowd  for  all  the  money  there  was  in  Washing- 
ton. Judge  Cartter  was  a  powerful  man  and  jumping 
out  of  the  carriage  took  the  negro  by  the  shoulders  and 
thrust  him  inside  with  General  Barnes  and  shut  the 
door.  Then  mounting  the  box  himself  he  drove  down  to 
the  Petersen  house.  By  the  time  they  reached  Eleventh 
and  F  Streets  the  guard  had  already  been  placed  and  an 
attempt  was  made  to  bar  their  progress.  Judge  Cartter 
shouted,  however,  who  was  in  the  carriage  and  without 
slacking  his  speed  one  bit  continued  until  he  pulled  up 
in  front  of  the  Petersen  house  on  Tenth  Street. 

Years  afterwards,  when  Judge  Cartter  was  telling 
the  story  of  that  night's  ride  to  the  writer,  he  said 
that  it  was  one  of  the  most  thrilling  events  of  his  life 
and  that  he  rarely  alluded  to  it,  because  of  the  fearful 
tragedy  that  it  brought  up  so  forcibly  to  his  memory. 
The  shock  at  finding  Secretary  Steward  prostrate  and 
bleeding  from  the  wicked  gashes  of  Payne's  knife  was 
a  severe  one,  but  it  was  nothing  in  comparison  to  the 
effect  of  the  announcement  that  the  President  had  been 
shot  and  was  dying. 

Secretaries  Stanton  and  Welles,  who  were  already  at 
Mr.  Lincoln's  side,  were  glad  to  see  General  Barnes  as 
he  walked  into  the  room  and  took  a  seat  beside  the  bed 
on  which  the  President  had  been  laid  to  make  an  ex- 
amination of  the  wound  caused  by  the  pistol  bullet  of 
Booth.  Carefully  and  tenderly  the  Surgeon-General 
noted  where  the  entrance  had  been  made  and  the  prob- 
able course  of  the  ball.  He  shook  his  head  gravely, 
and  his  announcement  that  the  wound  was  fatal  and 
that  death  was  but  a  question  of  only  a  few  hours,  only 


24  LINCOLN   SOUVENIRS. 

confirmed  the  sad  forebodings  of  the  two  trusted  secre- 
taries, and  Mr.  Robert  Lincoln,  the  President's  oldest 
son,  who  had  reached  his  father's  bedside  and  anxiously 
watched  the  movements  of  the  distinguished  surgeon. 
Mrs.  Lincoln,  prostrated  with  grief,  and  wholly  over- 
come by  the  shock  of  the  tragedy,  was  in  another 
room  and  to  her  was  conveyed  the  judgment  of  General 
Barnes.  She  soon  returned  and  taking  her  place  be- 
side the  bed  on  which  lay  the  dying  President,  kept 
vigil  with  the  others  through  the  long  and  weary 
watches  of  that  fateful  night  until  the  end  came  at 
7.23  on  the  morning  of  the  15th  of  April,  when  she  be- 
came a  widow,  the  countrjr  was  orphaned  by  the  loss 
of  its  Chief  Magistrate  and  the  whole  world  mourned 
the  death  of  the  greatest  American  since  Washington. 


CHAPTER  III. 

EXECUTION  OF  THE  CONSPIRATORS. 

The  incidents  of  the  pursuit  and  the  capture  of  Booth, 
his  tragic  death  in  a  barn  on  Garrett's  farm  near  Port 
Royal  on  the  Rappahannock  are  too  well  known  to 
need  any  rehearsal  cr  at  least  more  than  a  brief  notice. 
Lieutenant  Dougherty,  who  was  in  command  of  the 
pursuing  cavalry,  discovered  that  Booth  and  Herold 
were  secreted  in  a  large  barn  and  were  well  armed. 
The  cavalry  then  surrounded  the  barn  and  summoned 
Booth  and  his  accomplice  to  surrender.  Herold  was 
inclined  at  first  to  accede  to  the  request,  but  Booth  ac- 
cused him  of  cowardice  and  then  they  both  perempto- 
rily refused  to  surrender  and  made  preparations  to  de- 
fend themselves.  In  order  to  take  the  conspirators 
alive  the  barn  was  fired  and  the  flames  getting  too  hot 
for  Herold  he  approached  the  door  of  the  barn  and 
signified  his  willingness  to  be  taken  prisoner.  Herold 
then  came  out  of  the  barn  and  gave  himself  up  and 
was  securely  handcuffed.  Booth  maintained  a  defiant 
attitude,  refusing  to  surrender  and  in  a  braggadocio 
style  challenged  his  pursuers  to  fight  him  by  turns 
singly.  As  the  roof  of  the  barn  was  about  falling  in, 
and  Booth  manifested  a  disposition  to  make  a  bolt,  he 
was  shot  by  Sergeant  Boston  Corbett,  of  the  Sixteenth 
New  York,  the  ball  taking  effect  in  the  neck,  from  the 
effects  of  which  he  died  in  about  three  hours. 

Booth,  before  breathing  his  last,  was  asked  if  he  had 


26 


LINCOLN   SOUVENIRS. 


PKIVATE  BOX   IN  WHICH   MH.    LINCOLN   WAS   ASSASSINATED 


EXECUTION    OF   THE   CONSPIRATORS.  27 

anything  to  say,  when  he  replied:    "Tell  my  mother 
that  I  died  for  my  country." 

Herold  and  the  body  of  Booth  were  brought  to  the 
Navy  Yard  at  Washington,  and  from  there  Booth  was 
buried  first  in  the  Arsenal  grounds  and  his  body  was 
subsequently  delivered  to  his  brother  Edwin  and  finally 
interred  in  the  family  lot  in  Baltimore.  Herold  was 
placed  in  confinement  in  the  Arsenal,  where  he  and  the 
other  members  of  the  conspiracy,  Payne,  Atzerodt,  Mrs. 
Surratt,  Dr.  Mudd  and  Spangler,  were  tried  by  military 
commission  and  Mrs.  Surratt,  Payne,  Atzerodt  and 
Herold  were  hanged.  The  execution  took  place  on  Fri- 
day, July  7,  1865.  The  prisoners  had  been  defended  on 
their  trial  by  able  counsel  and  every  effort  had  been 
made,  particularly  in  the  case  of  Mrs.  Surratt,  to  prevent 
the  execution.  All  applications  for  clemency  were, 
however,  refused  and  the  four  named  above  paid  the 
death  penalty.  The  execution  was  under  the  charge 
of  Major-General  Hancock  and  the  gallows  was  erected 
under  the  direction  of  Captain  Roth  of  General  Har- 
tranft's  staff  by  workmen  from  the  arsenal.  It  was 
erected  in  the  south  yard  of  the  building,  between  the 
old  shoe  shop  and  the  wall,  and  the  platform  was 
reached  by  fifteen  steps  on  the  east  side.  There  were 
nine  heavy  uprights  holding  the  floor,  above  which 
arose,  on  the  west  side,  the  uprights  supporting  the 
beams  from  which  hung  the  four  ropes,  each  being  of 
strong  hemp,  the  slip  consisting  of  nine  twists  and  knot. 
The  dimensions  were  twenty  feet  long,  ten  feet  high 
to  floor,  twenty  feet  to  beam,  fifteen  feet  wide  to  plat- 
form. The  drops,  of  which  there  were  two,  were  each 
four  feet  by  six,  were  directly  beneath  the  beam  and 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


MAJOR   HATIIUONE. 


EXECUTION    OF    THE    CONSPIRATORS.  !29 

were  held  in  their  place  by  an  upright  which  was 
knocked  from  under  by  two  pieces  of  scantling  being 
swung  against  it.  The  drop  was  six  feet. 

The  day  was  intensely  hot  and  the  few  hundred  peo- 
ple who  were  permitted  to  witness  the  execution  stood 
under  umbrellas  to  protect  them  from  the  piercing  rays 
of  the  sun.  On  the  top  of  the  wall,  to  the  west,  paced 
a  sentinel  in  full  uniform  and  up  to  the  very  time  of 
the  falling  of  the  drop,  the  eyes  of  those  in  waiting 
turned  eagerly  backward,  expecting  that  a  reprieve 
would  come  in  the  case  of  Mrs.  Surratt.  When  the 
criminals  had  been  placed  upon  the  platform,  General 
Hartranft  advanced  to  the  front  and  read  in  a  clear 
voice  the  death  warrants  of  the  prisoners.  Following 
upon  this  came  the  last  few  words  of  religious  consola- 
tion to  the  doomed  ones.  Fathers  Wiget  and  Walter 
administered  the  dying  service  of  the  Catholic  Church 
to  Mrs.  Surratt,  holding  the  cross  to  her  lips.  Atzerodt 
seemed  to  be  muttering  a  prayer.  Re  7.  Dr.  Gillette, 
Rev.  Dr.  Olds  and  the  Rev.  Dr.  Butler  made  earnest 
prayers  in  behalf  of  each  of  the  three  men  and  then  the 
arms,  ankles  and  knees  of  all  were  bound.  The  white 
caps  were  drawn  over  their  heads,  the  prop  was  knocked 
away,  the  drop  fell  and  the  four  criminals  hung  quiver- 
ing in  the  air. 

David  E.  Herold  was  the  only  son  of  the  late  A. 
George  Herold,  who  for  over  twenty  years  was  the 
principal  clerk  of  the  Navy  Store  at  the  Washington 
Yard  and  who  died  in  the  fall  of  1864  at  his  residence 
near  the  Yard.  David  was  born  at  the  corner  of 
Eleventh  Street  east  and  I  Street  south.  He  was 
noted  for  trifling,  frivolity,  wholly  unlike  the  others 


30 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


JOHN   WILKES   BOOTH. 


EXECUTION   OF   THE    CONSPIRATORS.  31 

of  the  family,  who  were  of  a  retired  disposition,  see- 
ing little  company.  David  was  very  fond  of  horses, 
dogs  and  guns,  and  was  a  great  brag,  never  being  with- 
out something  to  boast  of.  His  father  was  exceedingly 
fond  of  sporting,  and  hunted  frequently  from  Washing- 
ton to  Chapel  Point,  where  he  crossed  to  Virginia  and 
thence  back  to  Alexandria,  usually  taking  David  with 
him,  and  sometimes  he  and  David  would  be  out  for  a 
month  or  more  in  hunting.  David  was  never  known 
to  drink  until  a  few  months  previous  to  his  arrest. 
He  was  naturally  averse  to  hard  work  and  considered 
bodily  toil  for  his  livelihood  degrading.  He  attended 
school  in  the  eastern  section  of  the  city  when  of  a  ten- 
der age,  and  finished  off  by  three  years'  schooling  in 
Georgetown  College,  after  which  he  entered  upon  the 
drug  business,  his  first  engagement  being  with  Dr. 
Bates,  corner  of  Seventh  and  L  (Navy  Yard),  then 
with  Dr.  F.  S.  Walsh,  on  Eighth  Street  west,  and  sub- 
sequently for  a  few  months  with  W.  S.  Thompson,  near 
the  State  Department,  which  was  then  a  brick  building 
on  the  southwest  corner  of  15th  Street  and  Pennsyl- 
vania Avenue,  and  now  forms  the  park  on  the  north 
front  of  the  Treasury  Department.  After  his  father's 
death  he  gave  up  his  business,  and  spent  most  of  his 
time  in  the  country,  stopping  with  various  persons  be- 
tween Washington  and  Port  Tobacco,  and  he  was  often 
seen  drinking  when  in  town.  His  most  intimate  ac- 
quaintances never  heard  him  mention  politics  at  that 
time,  his  whole  conversation  being  of  his  exploits  with 
dog  and  gun.  The  family  were  of  Episcopalian  persua- 
sion, the  mother  and  his  seven  sisters  being  attached  to 
Christ  Church,  at  the  Navy  Yard,  but  David  seldom  if 


LINCOLN   SOUVENIRS. 


EXECUTION    OF    THE    CONSPIRATORS.  83 

ever  attended  church.  The  family  were  highly  es- 
teemed in  Washington.  The  grief  of  the  family  on 
hearing  the  death  warrant  was  heartrending.  From 
Herold's  frivolous  turn  of  mind  and  unstable  char- 
acter, it  is  believed  that  Booth  did  not  rely  upon  him 
to  do  any  of  the  heavy  work  of  the  great  tragedy,  but 
counted  upon  him  as  a  valuable  auxiliary  in  his  flight, 
from  his  local  knowledge  of  the  country  through  which 
that  flight  was  to  be  essayed. 

George  A.  Atzerodt  was  short,  thick-set,  round- 
shouldered,  of  muddy  complexion,  with  brown  hair, 
light-colored  mustache  and  goatee,  unpleasant  green 
eyes,  aged  about  thirty-three  years,  and  a  blacksmith 
by  trade.  He  was  born  in  Germany,  but  raised  in 
Charles  County,  Maryland,  where  he  spent  the  most  of 
his  life.  His  character  was  none  of  the  best  and  for 
some  years  he  was  living  with  a  woman,  not  his  wife, 
near  Port  Tobacco,  by  which  woman  he  .had  a  child. 
For  some  months  previous  to  the  assassination  he  had 
been  missing  from  Port  Tobacco  and  it  was  believed 
that  he  had  been  engaged  in  blockade  running  and 
other  traitorous  practices. 

Atzerodt  alleged  that  during  the  latter  part  of  Febru- 
ary John  Surratt  and  Booth  wanted  a  man  who  under- 
stood boating,  and  could  both  get  a  boat  and  ferry  a 
party  over  the  Potomac.  Surratt  knew  him,  and  under 
influence  of  promises  of  a  fortune,  Atzerodt  consented 
to  furnish  the  boat  and  do  the  ferrying.  That  plot  failed, 
however.  On  the  13th  of  March  Atzerodt  went  to  the 
Kimmel  House,  and  what  took  place  afterward  accord- 
ing to  his  statement  to  the  court  was  as  follows  : 

I  am  one  of  the  party  who  agreed  to  capture  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  but.  1  am  not  one  of  the  party  to  kill  the  President  of  the 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


MISS-LAUKA  KEENE. 


EXECUTION    OF    THE    CONSPIRATORS.  35 

United  States,  or  any  member  of  the  Cabinet,  or  General  Grant,  or  Vice 
President  Johnson.  The  first  plot  to  capture  failed;  the  second,  to  kill,  I 
broke  away  from  the  moment  T  heard  of  it.  This  is  the  way  it  came 
about:  On  the  evening  of  the  14th  of  April  I  met  Booth  and  Payne  at 
the  Herndon  House  in  this  city  at  8  o'clock  He  (Booth)  said  he  himself 
would  take  charge  of  Mr.  Lincoln  and  General  Grant,  Payne  should  take 
Mr.  Seward,  and  I  should  take  Mr.  Johnson.  I  told  him  I  would  not  do 
it;  that  I  had  gone  into  the  thing  to  capture,  but  I  was  not  going  to  kill. 
He  told  me  I  was  a  fool;  lhat  I  would  be  hung  anyhow,  and  that  it  was 
death  for  every  man  that  backed  out,  and  so  we  parted.  I  wandered 
about  the  streets  until  about  2  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  then  went  to 
the  Kimmel  House,  and  from  there  pawned  my  pistol  at  Georgetown,  and 
went  to  my  cousin's  house  in  Montgomery  County,  where  I  was  arrested 
the  19th  following.  After  I  was  arrested  I  told  Provost  Marshal  Wells 
and  Provost  Marshal  McPhail  the  whole  story;  also  told  it  to  Captain 
Monroe;  and  Colonel  Wells  told  me  that  if  I  pointed  out  the  way  Booth 
had  gone  1  would  be  reprieved,  and  so  I  told  him  I  thought  he  had  gone 
down  Charles  County,  in  order  to  cross  the  Potomac.  The  arms  which 
were  found  in  my  room  at  the  Kirkwood  House  and  a  black  coat  do  not 
belong  to  me.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  14th  of  April  Herold  called  to 
see  me  and  left  the  coat  there.  It  is  his  coat,  and  all  in  it  belongs  to  him, 
as  you  can  see  by  the  handkerchiefs,  marked  with  his  initial  and  with  the 
name  of  his  sister,  Mrs.  Naylor.  Now  I  will  state  how  I  passed  the  whole 
of  the  14th  of  April.  In  the  afternoon  about  2  o'clock  I  went  to  Kele- 
her's  stable  on  Eighth  Street,  near  D,  and  hired  a  dark  bay  mare  and  rode 
into  the  country  for  pleasure,  and  on  my  return  put  up  at  Naylor's  stable. 
The  dark  bay  horse  which  I  had  kept  at  Naylor's  before,  on  or  about  the 
3d  of  April  belonged  to  Booth,  and  also  the  saddle  and  bridle,  and  I  had 
charge  of  him  to  sell  him,  and  I  do  not  know  what  became  of  him.  At 
about  6  in  the  evening  I  went  to  Naylor's  again  and  took  out  the  mare, 
rode  out  for  an  hour  and  returned  her  to  Naylor's.  It  was  then  nearly  8 
o'clock  and  I  told  him  to  keep  the  mare  ready  at  10  o'clock,  in  order  to 
return  her  to  the  man  I  hired  her  from.  From  there  I  went  to  the  Hern- 
don House.  Booth  sent  a  message  to  the  "Oyster  Bay,"  where  I  was, 
saying  he  wanted  to  see  me,  and  I  went.  Booth  wanted  me  to  murder 
Mr.  Johnson.  I  refused.  I  then  went  to  the  "Oyster  Bay"  on  the 
Avenue  above  Twelfth  Street,  and  whiled  away  the  time  until  10.  At  10 
I  got  the  mare  and  having  taken  a  drink  with  the  hostler,  I  galloped 
about  town,  and  went  to  the  Kimmel  House.  From  there  1  rode  down  to 
the  depot  and  returned  my  horse,  riding  up  Pennsylvania  Avenue  to  Kel- 
eher's.  From  Keleher's  I  went  down  to  the  Navy  Yard  to  get  a  room 
with  Wash  Briscoe.  He  had  none,  and  by  the  time  I  got  back  to  the 


36 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


EXECUTION   OP   THE    CONSPIRATORS.  37 

Kimmel  House  it  was  near  2  o'clock.  The  man  Thomas  was  a  stranger 
I  met  on  the  street.  Next  morning,  as  stated,  I  went  to  my  cousin's  in 
Montgomery  County.  GEORGE  A.  ATZEUODT. 

Despite  this  statement  of  Atzerodt,  there  was  no  doubt 
whatever  that  he  fully  entered  into  the  plot  up  to  the 
very  hour  of  its  execution,  and  only  lacked  nerve  at  the 
last  moment  to  execute  what  he  had  promised.  The 
testimony,  direct  and  circumstantial,  was  conclusive  as 
to  this. 


38 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


PETERSEN'S  HOUSE,  OPPOSITE  FORD'S  THEATER,  IN  WHICH 
MR.  LINCOLN  DIED. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

PAYNE,  WHO  ATTEMPTED  TO  KILL  SECRETARY  SEWARD, 

Lewis  Payne  Powell  was  the  son  of  the  Rev.  George 
C.  Powell,  a  Baptist  minister,  who  lived  at  the  time  of 
the  assassination  at  Live  Oak  Station,  on  the  railroad 
between  Jacksonville  and  Tallahassee,  in  the  State  of 
Florida,  and  was  born  in  Alabama  in  the  year  1845. 
Besides  himself  his  father  had  six  daughters  and  two 
sons.  He  lived  for  some  time  in  Worth  and  Stewart 
Counties,  Georgia,  and  in  1859  moved  to  Florida.  At 
the  breaking  out  of  the  war  Powell  was  a  lad  of  six- 
teen, engaged  in  superintending  his  father's  plantation 
and  a  number  of  slaves.  In  1861  his  two  brothers  en- 
listed in  the  Confederate  service,  and  Lewis  in  the  same 
year  enlisted  in  Captain  Stewart's  company  in  the  Sec- 
ond Florida  Infantry,  commanded  by  Colonel  Ward,  and 
was  ordered  to  Richmond.  At  Richmond  his  regiment 
joined  the  army  of  General  Lee  and  was  joined  to  A.  P. 
Hill's  corps.  With  it  he  passed  through  the  Penin- 
sula campaign  and  the  battles  of  Cliancellorsville  and 
Antietam.  Here  he  heard  that  his  two  brothers  had 
been  killed  at  the  battle  of  Murfreesboro.  Finally,  on 
the  3d  of  July,  1863,  in  the  charge  upon  the  Federal 
center  at  Gettysburg,  he  was  wounded,  taken  prisoner, 
and  detailed  as  a  nurse  in  a  Pennsylvania  hospital. 

From  Gettysburg  he  was  sent  to  West  Buildings 
Hospital,  Pratt  Street,  Baltimore,  and  remained  until 
October,  1863,  when  he  deserted  for  his  regiment,  and 
walked  through  Winchester,  met  a  regiment  of  Con- 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS 


UED   SPREAD   USED  ON    THE  BED   IN   WHICH   MR.    LINCOLN   DIED. 


PAYNE,  WHO  ATTACKED  SECRETARY  SEWARD.      41 

federate  cavalry  at  Fauquier,  -which  he  joined  and  re- 
mained in  that  service  until  January  1,  1865.  About 
that  time  he  deserted  and  came  to  Alexandria,  sold  his 
horse,  gave  his  name  as  Payne,  took  the  oath  of  allegi- 
ance as  a  refugee  from  Fauquier,  and  went  to  Balti- 
more and  took  a  room  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  Branson,  u 
lady  he  had  met  at  Gettysburg.  Here  he  fell  in  with 
Booth,  whom  he  had  met  in  Richmond,  and  became  a 
ready  ally  to  the  atrocious  conspirator,  and  much  of  the 
preliminary  blocking  out  of  the  work  of  the  conspiracy 
seems  to  have  been  done  by  this  brace  of  cool,  desper- 
ate villains. 

According  to  the  statement  of  Payne,  the  plan  was 
first  to  come  to  Washington,  where  the  gang  of  work- 
ing conspirators  were  to  go  out  on  horseback  to  the 
vicinity  of  the  Soldiers'  Home,  capture  President  Lin- 
coln and  deliver  him  to  the  rebel  authorities.  Accord- 
ing to  the  testimony  of  Lewis  J.  Weichman,  such  a 
gang,  including  Booth,  Payne  and  John  Surratt,  rode 
out  on  horseback,  one  afternoon  subsequent  to  the  4th 
of  March,  and  returned  very  much  excited  and  discom- 
posed, as  if  baffled  in  some  cherished  undertaking.  The 
supposition  was  that  an  attempt  to  waylay  the  Presi- 
dent at  that  time  was  really  attempted  and  miscarried, 
but  the  scheme  to  carry  off  Mr.  Lincoln  in  broad  day- 
light, to  the  Confederate  lines,  was  too  absurdly  im- 
practicable to  have  been  really  entertained  by  Booth, 
at  least,  if  any  of  his  fellow  conspirators  were  crack- 
brained  enough  to  be  deluded  by  it.  There  is  little 
doubt  that  Booth  meant  murder  whenever  he  should 
come  in  contact  with  the  President  and  be  able  to  deal 
the  blow  with  any  chance  of  escape. 


42 


LINCOLN   SOUVENIRS. 


PILLOW   CASES   USED   ON    THE    BED   IN    WHICH    MR.    LINCOLN    DIED. 


PAYNE,  WHO    ATTACKED    SECRETARY    SEWARD.          43 

Payne  alleges  that  on  the  night  of  the  fatal  14th  of 
April  he  met  with  Booth  at  the  Herndon  House  at 
8  o'clock,  where  the  work  of  each  was  assigned, 
and  Booth  directed  him  to  meet  him  at  the  Anacostia 
Bridge  after  the  deed  was  done.  They  parted,  not  again 
to  meet  in  this  world. 

Mrs.  Mary  E.  Surratt  was  raised  near  Waterloo,  on 
Calvert's  manor,  in  Prince  George  County,  Maryland. 
Her  maiden  name  was  Jenkins.  Her  father  died  when 
she  was  quite  young.  As  she  grew  up  she  displayed 
considerable  force  of  character,  and  expressed  a  desire 
to  have  a  better  education  than  was  attainable  in  her 
neighborhood,  and  she  was  sent  to  a  female  seminary 
in  Alexandria. 

Returning  to  her  mother's  home  she  became  an  ac- 
knowledged belle  of  Prince  George  County,  and  quite 
as  noted  for  her  strong  will,  she  seldom  failing  in  any- 
thing she  undertook.  She  married  Surratt  about  the 
year  1835,  and  the  couple  first  settled  at  a  place  known 
as  Condin's  Mill,  near  Camp  Stoneman  (Giesboro), 
which  property  Surratt  inherited  from  an  uncle  named 
Neal.  After  they  had  lived  there  a  few  years  the 
house  was  set  on  fire  by  their  slaves,  and  the  Surratts 
barely  escaped  from  the  flames  with  their  lives. 

Surratt  afterward  engaged  on  the  Orange  and  Alex- 
andria Railroad  as  a  contractor,  and  on  finishing  his 
work  returned  to  Prince  George  County  and  bought  a 
farm,  on  which  he  established  the  tavern  known  as 
"  Surratt's,"  and  afterward  was  appointed  postmaster 
at  that  point,  but  he  being  an  uneducated  man  the 
duties  of  the  office  devolved  upon  his  wife.  They  had 
three  children — a  daughter  and  two  sons.  One  of  the 


44 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


••••••••i 

KBY  OF  THE  CELL  AT  THE  ARSENAL  IN  WHICH  PAYNE  WAS  CONFINED. 


PAYNE,    WHO    ATTACKED    SECRETARY    SEWARD.          45 

latter  (Isaac)  went  South  at  the  outbreak  of  the  rebel- 
lion, entering  the  Southern  army,  it  is  said.  The  other 
son  (John)  stayed  about  home,  spending  his  time  in 
idleness  or  worse.  The  father  was  known  as  a  pro- 
slavery  man,  and  a  sympathizer  with  the  South  in  the 
rebellion  to  some  extent,  but  was  not  looked  upon  as  an 
open  secessionist.  He  died  about  three  years  previous 
to  President  Lincoln's  assassination,  and  soon  after  his 
widow  leased  the  property  and  went  to  Washington, 
where  she  opened  a  boarding  house  on  H  Street,  which 
house  has  since  become  notorious  as  the  scene  where 
was  concocted  some  of  the  most  stupendous  deviltry  of 
the  world's  history. 

"Surratt's"  (house  and  farm)  was  situated  on  the 
mail  route  from  Washington  to  Leonardtown,  Md., 
and  was  twelve  miles  from  Washington,  at  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Marlboro  and  Piscataway  roads.  The  house 
was  a  comfortable  two -story  double  frame  building 
containing  nine  rooms,  and  on  the  front  and  side  were 
porticos  for  the  visitors  to  enjoy  the  fresh  air  during 
the  sultry  seasons.  The  farm  was  well  adapted  for 
gardening  purposes,  and  though  not  very  extensive, 
was  profitable  for  wheat  and  tobacco. 

When  Mrs.  Surratt  went  to  Washington  to  open  a 
boarding  house  she  rented  the  tavern  stand  to  John  M . 
Lloyd  at  a  rent  of  $500  per  annum. 


4(5 


LINCOLN   SOUVENIRS. 


DETECTIVE    WILLIAM    WILLIAMS. 


CHAPTER  V. 

JOHN  WILKES  BOOTH  THE  MOVING  SPIRIT  OP  THE 
CONSPIRACY. 

John  Wilkes  Booth,  who  was  the  moving  spirit  in 
this  whole  conspiracy,  that  culminated  in  the  assassi- 
nation of  President  Lincoln,  was  an  actor  who  had  a 
reputation  that  extended  throughout  the  entire  coun- 
try. He  was  a  son  of  Junius  BrutuS  Booth,  the  great 
American  tragedian,  and  a  brother  of  the  hardly  less 
famous  Edwin  Booth  of  the  present  day.  The  family 
consisted  of  four  boys,  J.  B.  Jr.,  Edwin,  John  Wilkes 
and  Joseph,  and  two  daughters,  one  of  whom  married 
the  celebrated  comedian,  John  Sleeper  Clarke.  The 
elder  Booth  and  his  family  resided  in  Baltimore,  where 
all  the  children  were  born,  and  it  was  natural  that  they 
should  have  the  feelings  which  generally  obtained  in 
the  Southern  States  in  regard  to  the  negro  and  slavery. 
When  the  war  of  the  rebellion  broke  out  all  the  family 
espoused  the  Union  cause,  with  the  exception  of  John 
Wilkes,  who  remained  in  the  North,  although  it  is  be- 
lieved he  frequently  went  through  the  lines  on  secret 
missions  for  the  Confederate  government.  Still  he 
was  apparently  loyal  to  the  Union,  because  he  played 
engagements  in  various  theaters  in  the  North,  and  he 
became  quite  popular,  both  as  an  actor  and  as  a  man, 
wherever  he  went.  He  was  an  extremely  handsome 
man,  taller  in  stature  and  of  better  figure  than  either 
of  his  brothers,  and  he  had  a  winning  personality  that 
attracted  people  to  him.  The  writer  met  him  and  took 


48 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


SERGT.    BOSTON   COKBETT,    WHO   SHOT   BOOTH. 


BOOTH   THE   MOVING    SPIRIT.  49 

tea  with  him  in  Boston  the  Saturday  night  before  he 
opened  his  first  engagement  as  a  star  in  that  city,  and 
was  deeply  impressed  with  his  modest  bearing  and  his 
winning  manner.  He  was  to  open  at  the  Boston 
Museum  on  Monday  night,  and  he  had  selected  Rich- 
ard III.  as  his  initial  character.  He  said  he  felt 
timid  about  appearing  before  a  Boston  audience  in 
that  character,  which  had  been  made  famous  both  by 
his  father  and  his  brother  Edwin,  and  besides  he  knew 
that  Boston  audiences  were  coldly  critical  anyway. 
Still  he  believed  that  he  could  bring  out  whatever 
power  that  was  in  him  better  as  Richard,  and  make 
a  better  first  impression  in  that  part  than  in  any  other 
in  his  repertoire.  I  saw  him  on  his  opening  night,  and 
while  the  performance  was  crude  in  some  respects, 
there  were  flashes  of  positive  genius  that,  I  was  told 
by  those  who  had  seen  his  father,  brought  back  strik- 
ingly memories  of  that  greatest  of  Richards. 

Booth  was  quite  successful  in  his  profession  and  made 
a  great  deal  of  money,  his  income  averaging  about 
$20,000  a  year.  As  he  was  unmarried  he  had  more  than 
enough  to  provide  for  his  desires  and  during  the  last 
two  years  of  his  life  he  was  rather  desultory  in  making 
his  engagements.  He  spent  a  good  deal  of  time  in 
Washington,  where  he  had  a  great  many  friends  in  all 
classes  of  society.  He  was  quite  popular  in  social  cir- 
cles and  he  came  very  near  marrying  the  daughter  of 
a  distinguished  New  England  Senator.  Shortly  before 
he  committed  the  crime  which  he  expiated  with  his  life, 
he  played  "Pescara,  the  Apostate"  at  the  same  theater 
in  which  he  assassinated  Mr.  Lincoln,  and  I  think  but 


50 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


THOMAS   A.    JONES,    WHO   AIDED    BOOTH'S   ESCAPE. 


BOOTH    THE   MOVING   SPIRIT.  51 

a  week  before  the  crime  was  committed  he  played 
Romeo  to  Avonia  Jones'  Juliet  at  the  National  Theater. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  it  was  the  original  intention 
of  the  conspirators  to  capture  President  Lincoln  and 
hold  him  as  a  hostage  until  some  terms  should  be  made 
recognizing  the  Confederacy.  But  the  surrender  of 
Lee  and  the  conclusion  of  the  war  rendered  such  a  pro- 
ceeding absolutely  useless.  One  would  naturally  sup- 
pose that  after  the  war  was  over  and  there  was  general 
rejoicing  both  North  and  South,  that  the  long  and 
bloody  conflict  had  been  ended  and  that  the  soldiers  who 
formed  the  mass  of  the  armies  on  both  sides  should  once 
again  return  to  their  homes  and  families  and  their  or- 
dinary avocations,  that  all  designs  upon  the  freedom  or 
life  of  the  Chief  Magistrate  would  have  been  abandoned. 
But  it  appears  that  their  plans  were  still  kept  up  and 
were  changed  from  that  of  capture  to  assassination. 
The  house  of  Mrs.  Surratt  on  H  Street,  where  the  meet- 
ings of  those  engaged  in  the  conspiracy  were  held,  still 
stands  and  is  an  object  of  curiosity  and  interest  to 
strangers  visiting  the  city.  Booth's  plans  were  well 
laid  and  his  preparations  for  escape  from  the  theater 
and  the  city  were  successful.  The  way  behind  the 
scenes  was  kept  clear,  while  his  fleet  horse  was  ready 
for  mounting  in  the  alley  back  of  the  theater,  held  by 
Spangler  and  Herold,  who  accompanied  him  in  his  flight. 
It  is  generally  believed  that  had  he  not  broken  his  leg 
at  the  time  he  jumped  from  the  box  to  the  stage  by  his 
spur  catching  in  the  flag  that  decorated  the  front  of  the 
box,  he  would  have  made  his  escape  complete  and  man- 
aged to  get  out  of  the  country  before  he  could  be  cap- 
tured. How  he  must  have  suffered  that  night  riding 
for  his  life  with  his  broken  leg  dangling  in  the  stirrup 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


THE   CONSPIKATOK8. 


BOOTH    THE   MOVING   SPIRIT.  53 

« 

until  he  reached  the  home  of  Dr.  Mudd  who  rendered 
him  what  brief  medical  aid  was  in  his  power.  The 
story  of  his  pursuit  by  the  United  States  soldiers,  of  his 
finally  being  traced  to  the  Garrett  farm,  of  the  capture  of 
Herold  and  the  shooting  of  Booth  by  Boston  Corbett,  is 
too  well  known  to  be  rehearsed  here.  His  body  was 
brought  to  this  city,  placed  upon  a  gunboat  until  it 
was  thoroughly  identified,  then  it  was  buried  in  the 
Arsenal  grounds  and  subsequently  delivered  over  to  the 
family  and  now  lies  in  the  Booth  plot  in  Greenmount 
Cemetery,  in  Baltimore. 

Booth's  friends  have  always  claimed  that  his  mind 
had  become  unbalanced  by  continually  thinking  over  the 
misfortunes  of  the  South,  and  this  is  partially  borne  out 
by  the  following  letter  which  he  left  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  John  Sleeper  Clarke,  "for  safe  keeping,"  and 
which  was  handed  to  the  United  States  Marshal  at 
Philadelphia  after  the  assassination  had  been  committed 
and  it  was  known  that  Booth  was  the  criminal : 


-,  1864. 


MY  DEAR  SIR: — You  may  use  this  as  you  think  best.  But  as  some 
may  wish  to  know  when,  who  and  why,  and  as  I  know  not  how  to  direct, 
I  give  it  (in  the  words  of  your  master). 

"  TO  WHOM  IT   MAY  CONCERN." 

Right  or  wrong,  God  judge  me,  not  man.  For  be  my  motive  good  or 
bad,  of  one  thing  I  am  sure,  the  lasting  condemnation  of  the  North. 

I  love  peace  more  than  life.  Have  loved  the  Union  beyond  expres- 
sion. For  four  years  have  I  waited,  hoped  and  prayed  for  the  dark 
clouds  to  break,  and  for  the  restoration  of  our  former  sunshine.  To  wait 
longer  would  be  a  crime.  All  hope  for  peace  is  dead.  My  prayers  have 
proved  as  idle  as  my  hopes.  God's  will  be  done.  I  go  to  see  and  share 
the  bitter  end. 

I  have  ever  held  the  South  were  right.  The  very  nomination  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  four  years  ago,  spoke  plainly  of  war — war  upon 
Southern  rights  and  institutions.  His  election  proved  it.  "  Await  an 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


MRS.  MARY  SURTCATT'S  HOUSE,  604  TT  ST  N.  w.,  WASTIINGTON,  D.  c. 


BOOTH   THE    MOVING   SPIRIT.  55 

overt  act."  Yes,  till  you  are  bound  and  plundered.  What  folly.  The 
South  was  wise.  Who  thinks  of  arguments  and  patience  when  the  finger 
of  his  enemy  presses  on  the  trigger  ?  In  a  foreign  war  I,  too,  could  say, 
"  country,  right  or  wrong."  But  in  a  struggle  such  as  ours  (where  the 
brother  tries  to  pierce  the  brother's  heart)  for  God's  sake,  choose  the  right. 
When  a  country  like  this  spurns  justice  from  her  side  she  forfeits  the 
allegiance  of  every  honest  freeman,  and  should  leave  him  untrammeled 
by  any  fealty  soever,  to  act  as  his  conscience  may  approve. 

People  of  the  North,  to  hate  tyranny,  to  love  liberty  and  justice,  to 
strike  at  wrong  and  oppression,  was  the  teaching  of  our  fathers.  The 
study  of  our  early  history  will  not  let  me  forget  it,  and  may  it  never. 

This  country  was  formed  for  the  white,  not  for  the  black,  man.  And 
looking  upon  African  slavery  from  the  same  standpoint  held  by  the  noble 
framersof  our  Constitution,  I,  for  one,  have  ever  considered  it  one  of  the 
greatest  blessings  (both  for  themselves  and  us)  that  God  ever  bestowed 
upon  a  favored  nation.  Witness  heretofore  our  wealth  and  power,  wit- 
ness their  elevation  and  enlightenment  above  their  race  elsewhere.  I 
have  lived  among  it  most  of  my  life,  and  have  seen  less  harsh  treatment 
from  master  to  man  than  I  have  beheld  in  the  North  from  father  to  son. 
Yet  Heaven  knows,  no  one  would  be  willing  to  do  more  for  the  negro 
race  than  I,  could  T  but  see  a  way  to  still  better  their  condition. 

But  Lincoln's  policy  is  only  preparing  the  way  for  their  total  annihila- 
tion. The  South  are  not,  nor  have  they  been  fighting  for  the  continu- 
ance of  slavery.  The  first  battle  of  Bull  Run  did  away  with  that  idea. 
Their  causes  since  the  war  have  been  noble  and  greater  far  than  those 
that  urged  our  fathers  on.  Even  should  we  allow  they  were  wrong  at 
the  beginning  of  this  contest,  cruelty  and  injustice  have  made  the  wrong 
become  the  right,  and  they  stand  now  (before  the  wonder  and  admiration 
of  the  world)  as  a  noble  band  of  patriotic  heroes.  Hereafter,  reading  of 
their  deeds,  Thermopylae  would  be  forgotten. 

When  I  aided  in  the  capture  and  execution  of  John  Brown  (who  was 
a  murderer  on  our  western  border,  and  who  was  fairly  tried  and  convicted 
before  an  impartial  judge  and  jury  of  treason,  and  who,  by  the  way,  has 
since  been  made  a  god),  I  was  proud  of  my  little  share  in  the  transaction, 
for  I  deemed  it  my  duty,  and  that  I  was  helping  our  common  country  to 
perform  an  act  of  justice.  But  what  was  a  crime  in  John  Brown  is  now 
considered  (by  themselves)  as  the  greatest  and  only  virtue  of  the  whole 
Republican  party.  Strange  transmigration  !  Vice  to  become  a  virtue, 
simply  because  more  indulge  in  it. 

I  thought  then,  as  now,  that  the  abolitionists  were  the  only  traitors  in 
the  land,  and  that  the  entire  party  deserved  the  same  fate  of  poor  old 
Brown;  not  because  they  wished  to  abolish  slavery,  but  on  account  of 


56  LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 

the  means  they  have  ever  endeavored  lo  use  to  effect  that  abolition.  If 
Brown  were  living  I  doubt  whether  he  himself  would  set  slavery  against 
the  Union.  Most,  or  many,  in  the  North  do,  and  openly  curse  the  Union, 
if  the  South  are  to  return  and  retain  a  single  right  guaranteed  by  every 
tie  which  we  once  revered  as  sacred.  The  South  can  make  no  choice. 
It  is  either  extermination  or  slavery  for  themselves  (worse  than  death)  to 
draw  from.  I  know  my  choice. 

I  have  also  studied  hard  to  discover  upon  what  grounds  the  right  of  a 
State  to  secede  has  been  denied,  when  our  very  name,  United  States,  and 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  both  provide  for  secession.  But  there 
is  no  time  for  words — I  write  in  haste.  I  know  how  foolish  I  shall  be 
deemed  for  undertaking  such  a  step  as  this,  wher$,  on  the  one  side,  I 
have  many  friends  and  everything  to  make  me  happy;  where  my  profes- 
sion alone  has  gained  me  an  income  of  more  than  twenty  thousand  dollars 
a  year,  and  where  my  great  personal  ambition  in  my  profession  has  such 
a  great  field  for  labor.  On  the  other  hand,  the  South  have  never  bestowed 
upon  me  one  kind  word;  a  place  now  where  I  have  no  friends,  except 
beneath  the  sod;  a  place  where  I  must  become  either  a  private  soldier  or 
a  beggar.  To  give  up  all  of  the  former  for  the  latter,  besides  my  mother 
and  sisters,  whom  I  love  so  dearly  (although  they  so  widely  differ  from 
me  in  opinion),  seems  insane,  but  God  is  my  judge.  I  love  justice  more 
than  I  do  a  country  that  disowns  it;  more  than  fame  and  wealth;  more 
(Heaven  pardon  me  if  wrong),  more  than  a  happy  home.  I  have  never 
been  upon  a  battlefield;  but  oh,  my  countrymen,  could  you  all  but  see 
the  reality  or  effects  of  this  horrid  war,  as  I  have  seen  them  (in  every 
State,  save  Virginia),  I  know  you  would  think  like  me,  and  would  pray 
the  Almighty  to  create  in  the  Northern  mind  the  sense  of  right  and  jus- 
tice (even  should  it  possess  no  seasoning  of  mercy),  and  that  He  would 
dry  up  this  sea  of  blood  between  us,  which  is  daily  growing  wider. 
Alas,  poor  country,  is  she  to  meet  her  threatened  doom  ? 

Four  years  ago  I  would  have  given  a  thousand  lives  to  gee  her  remain 
(as  I  had  always  known  her)  powerful  and  unbroken.  And  even  now  I 
would  hold  my  life  as  naught  to  see  her  what  she  was.  O,  my  friends, 
if  the  fearful  scenes  of  the  past  four  years  had  never  been  enacted,  or  if 
what  had  been,  had  been  but  a  frightful  dream,  from  which  we  could 
now  awake,  with  what  overflowing  of  hearts  could  we  bless  our  God  and 
pray  for  his  continued  favor.  How  I  have  loved  the  old  flag  can  never 
now  be  known.  A  few  years  since  and  the  entire  world  could  boast  of 
none  so  pure  and  spotless.  But  I  have  of  late  been  seeing  and  hearing 
of  the  bloody  deeds  of  which  she  has  been  made  the  emblem,  and  would 
shudder  to  think  how  changed  she  had  grown.  O,  how  I  have  longed  to 
see  her  break  from  the  mist  of  blood  and  death  that  circles  around  her 


BOOTH    THE    MOVING    SPIRIT.  57 

folds,  spoiling  her  beauty  and  tarnishing  her  honor.  But  no,  day  by  day 
she  has  been  dragged  deeper  and  deeper  into  cruelty  and  oppression,  till 
now  (in  my  eyes)  her  once  bright  red  stripes  look  like  bloody  gashes  on 
the  face  of  Heaven.  I  look  now  upon  my  early  admiration  of  her  glories 
as  a  dream.  My  love  (as  things  stand  to-day)  is  for  the  South  alone.  Nor 
do  I  deem  it  a  dishpnor  in  attempting  to  make  for  her  a  prisoner  of  this 
man,  to  whom  she  owes  so  much  of  misery.  If  success  attends  me,  I  go 
penniless  to  her  side.  They  say  she  has  found  that  "last  ditch "  which 
the  North  have  so  long  derided,  and  been  endeavoring  to  force  her  in, 
forgetting  they  are  our  brothers,  and  that  it's  impolitic  to  goad  an  enemy 
to  madness.  Should  I  reach  her  in  safety  and  find  it  true,  I  will  proudly 
beg  permission  to  triumph  or  die  in  that  same  "ditch  "  by  her  side. 

A  CONFEDERATE,  DOING  DUTY  UPON  His  OWN  RESPONSIBILITY. 

J.  WILKES  BOOTH. 


58 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


HANGING  OF  THE  CONSPIRATORS. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

RELICS  OF  THE  TRAGEDY  IN  POSSESSION  OF 
MR.  BUCKINGHAM. 

Very  few  relics  of  that  fearful  tragedy  when  the 
President  of  the  United  States  was,  for  the  first  time  in 
the  history  of  this  country,  stricken  down  by  the  hand 
of  an  assassin,  remain.  Probably  the  greatest  number 
of  mementoes  of  that  sad  event  are  in  the  possession  of 
Mr.  John  E.  Buckingham,  who  was  the  doorkeeper  of 
the  theater  and  whose  experiences  on  the  night  of  the 
calamity  have  already  been  told.  There  is  a  piece  of 
the  lace  curtain  that  draped  the  box.  He  has  also  an 
original  program  of  the  performance  of  "  Our  Ameri- 
can Cousin,"  in  which  Laura  Keene  and  her  excellent 
company  appeared  on  that  night.  Besides  these  he  has 
the  large  key  that  unlocked  the  cell  at  the  Arsenal 
grounds  in  which  Payne,  the  assassin  of  Secretary 
Steward,  was  confined  and  from  which  he  went  forth 
to  pay  the  penalty  of  his  crime  upon  the  gallows.  So 
far  as  photographs  are  concerned,  he  has  quite  a  num- 
ber which  he  prizes  very  highly  and  which  are  of  in- 
calculable value  as  faithful  representatives  of  the  actors 
and  incidents  in  that  terrible  drama.  He  has  photo- 
graphs of  President  Lincoln,  of  John  Wilkes  Booth,  of 
Laura  Keene,  of  the  box  as  it  appeared  on  the  night  in 
question,  of  all  th,ese  mementoes  mentioned  above,  and 
one  representing  the  execution  of  the  prisoners  in  the 
Arsenal  grounds. 

It  has  already  been  stated  that  as  soon  as  possible 


60  LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 

after  Mr.  Lincoln  was  shot,  he  was  conveyed  across 
the  street  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Petersen,  where  he  re- 
mained until  he  died.  That  building  is  an  historic  one 
now,  and  its  former  use  is  indicated  by  a  tablet  of  white 
marble  placed  in  the  outer  wall  stating  that  here  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  died  on  the  15th  of  April,  1865.  Mr. 
Petersen's  son  has  retained  in  his  possession  the  pillow 
cases  and  the  coverlet  which  were  on  the  bed  on  which 
the  martyred  President  was  placed  and  where  he 
breathed  his  last.  These  still  bear  the  stains  of  the 
blood  which  flowed  from  the  wound  made  by  the  as- 
sassin's hand  and  are  ghastly  but  eloquent  evidences 
of  the  saddest  tragedy  in  American  history. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

BOOTH'S  ESCAPE  AND  CAPTURE. 

There  are  two  men  living  who  probably  had  more 
to  do  with  Booth's  escape  and  capture  than  any  two 
men  now  upon  earth.  Those  two  men  are  Thomas  A. 
Jones,  who  aided  Booth's  escape  and  kept  him  hid  down 
at  Cox's  farm  until  he  could  get  an  opportunity  to  let 
him  and  Herold  cross  the  Potomac  and  get  into  Vir- 
ginia, and  the  other  is  Captain  William  Williams,  at 
present  a  detective  in  this  city,  who  was  a  captain  of 
cavalry  at  the  time  of  the  assassination  of  President 
Lincoln  and  who  commanded  the  first  party  who  really 
started  in  pursuit  of  Booth.  About  three  years  ago  the 
two  men  met  in  this  city  and  talked  over  the  events  of 
a  quarter  of  a  century  before. 

Captain  Williams  was  w.ell  acquainted  with  Booth, 
and  on  the  night  of  the  assassination  he  passed  Booth 
standing  in  front  of  Ford's  Theater  and  asked  him  to 
join  him  in  a  glass  of  beer.  Booth  thanked  him  and 
declined.  While  the  captain  was  in  Doc  Claggett's 
restaurant,  corner  of  Tenth  and  Pennsylvania  Avenue, 
the  alarm  was  sent  out  that  the  President  had  been 
shot  at  Ford's  Theater.  The  captain  ran  to  the  theater 
and  there  he  was  ordered  to  bring  his  cavalry  from  the 
White  House.  The  order  was  carried  out,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  the  clatter  of  the  cavalry  horses  sounded 
down  the  Avenue.  After  Captain  Williams  returned 
to  the  theater  Provost  Marshal  O'Beirne  ordered  him 
to  report  to  the  Kirkwood  House,  Twelfth  Street  and 


62 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


HANGING  OF   THE   CONSPIRATORS. 


BOOTH'S  ESCAPE  AND  CAPTURE.  Q3- 

Pennsylvania  Avenue,  where  Vice  President  Johnson 
was  living,  and  guard  him.  This  the  captain  did 
through  the  long  and  trying  night.  There  was  little 
rest  for  the  Vice  President.  He  paced  the  floor  of  his 
room  and  would  wring  his  hands  and  say  :  "  They  shall 
suffer  for  this.  They  shall  suffer  for  this." 

About  daylight  the  cavalry,  under  the  command  of 
Lieutenant  Lovett,  dashed  up  to  the  front  of  the  hotel, 
and  General  O'Beirne  commanded  Captain  Williams  to- 
take  the  cavalry  and  hunt  for  Booth. 

"  Where  must  I  go  ?"  asked  the  captain. 

"  How  do  I  know  ?  "  replied  the  General.  "  Go,  and 
don't  return  to  Washington  until  you  find  Booth  ;  but 
mind — don't  harm  a  hair  on  his  head." 

Mounting  a  magnificent  charger  the  captain  clapped 
spurs  and  with  a  "  Come,  boys  !  "  the  cavalry  were  soon 
going  at  a  rapid  speed  toward  the  Eastern  Branch 
Bridge,  which  was  successfully  crossed  by  the  captain 
knocking  the  sentry  down  by  running  over  him  with 
his  horse. 

"There  was  no  time  to  stand  and  explain  to  the 
sentry,"  said  the  captain  ;  "time  was  precious." 

The  first  stop  was  made  at  Surrattsville,  where  John 
M.  Lloyd  kept  a  tavern,  and  at  which  place  Mrs.  Sur- 
ratt  had  left  a  field  glass  and  two  carbines  for  Booth 
and  Herold.  Lloyd  was  arrested  and  sent  back  to 
Washington  under  guard. 

"And  from  here  we  went  to  Bryantown,"  said  the 
captain,  eyeing  Jones  closely,  "  and  of  course  I  remem- 
ber you.  I  can  never  forget  that  come-to-the-Lord- 
and-be-saved  expression  you  wear  now  and  wore  then. 
But  if  I  had  known  then  what  I  do  now,  how  different 


64  LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 

would  things  ha.ve  been.  Why,  you  ought  to  be  shot ! 
If  you  had  told  me  where  Booth  was  you  would  have 
been  the  biggest  man  in  America,  and  would  have  had 
money  by  the  flour-barrel  full." 

"Yes,  and  a  conscience  as  black  as  purgatory,"  said 
Jones,  "and  the  everlasting  hatred  of  the  people  I 
loved.  No,  captain,  I  never  the  first  time  thought  of 
betraying  Booth.  After  he  was  placed  in  my  hands  I 
determined  to  die  before  I  would  betray  him." 

"Who  placed  him  in  your  hands.?" 

"Samuel  Cox.  It  was  on  the  morning  of  the  16th 
of  April,  Sunday  morning,  that  one  of  Cox's  white  men 
came  to  my  house  on  Huckleberry  farm,  and  told  me 
that  Cox  wanted  to  see  me  at  once.  I  suspected  some- 
thing, as  I  heard  the  evening  before  that  Lincoln  had 
been  killed.  I  had  a  horse  saddled  and  rode  over  to 
Cox's  and  there  he  told  me  that  Booth  and  Herold  had 
been  there,  and  wanted  assistance  to  get  across  the 
river.  I  was  told  where  the  men  were — in  a  pine 
thicket,  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  house.  I 
was  given  instructions  how  to  reach  them  without 
being  shot — certain  signs  by  whistling,  etc.  Upon 
reaching  the  dense  pines  I  met  Herold,  to  whom  I 
explained  that  I  was  sent  by  Cox.  I  was  then  piloted 
to  where  Booth  was.  He  lay  on  the  ground,  wrapped 
in  a  pile  of  blankets,  and  his  face  bore  traces  of  pain. 
Booth  asked  me  many  questions  as  to  what  people 
thought  of  the  assassination.  He  appeared  to  be  proud 
of  what  he  had  done.  I  at  the  time  thought  he  had 
done  a  good  act,  but,  great  God !  I  soon  saw  that  it 
was  the  worst  blow  ever  struck  for  the  South. 

"Well,  captain,  I  can  talk  now,  and  I  did  the  best  I 


BOOTH'S  ESCAPE  AND  CAPTURE.  65 

could  for  the  poor  fellow.  I  carried  him  something  to 
eat  and  papers  to  read,  and  tried  to  keep  him  in  good 
spirits  until  I  got  a  chance  to  send  him  across  the  river. 
The  country,  as  you  know,  was  full  of  soldiers  and 
detectives,  and  I  did  not  know  how  soon  I  would  get 
him  away.  I  think  it  was  the  following  Tuesday  I 
went  up  to  Port  Tobacco  to  see  how  the  'land  lay '  and 
it  was  there,  in  the  bar  of  Brawner's  Hotel,  you  said 
you  would  give  $300,000  to  any  man  who  would  tell 
where  Booth  was." 

"Yes ;  and  if  you  had  given  me  the  information  you 
would  be  to-day  General  Jones  instead  of  a  discharged 
laborer  from  the  navy  yard." 

"That  may  be  true,  but  how  could  I  give  up  the  life 
of  that  poor  devil  over  there  in  the  pine  thicket,  hover- 
ing between  life  and  death,  and  the  confidence  reposed 
in  me  by  the  best  friend  I  ever  had,  Samuel  Cox.  I 
was  a  creature  of  circumstances.  I  did  not  know 
Booth,  but  when  Cox  put  him  in  my  keeping  nothing 
would  have  tempted  me  to  betray  him.  I  could  have 
placed  my  hands  on  him,  but  honor  and  truth  were 
worth  more  to  me  than  the  entire  wealth  of  the  Gov- 
ernment. 

"I  have  lived  in  plenty  and  I  have  lived  in  poverty, 
but  God  knows  I  have  never  betrayed  a  trust  or  done 
that  which  I  believed  dishonorable.  While  I  was  not 
ashamed  of  the  part  I  played  in  that  sad  tragedy,  I  was 
never  used  to  speaking  of  it.  I  preferred  to  have  it 
buried  with  the  past,  and  but  for  the  mean  little  spite- 
work  of  Congressman  Mudd  this  matter  would  have 
never  come  out. 

"But  to  return  to  Booth  and  Herold.     I  did  the  best 


66 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


BOOTH'S  ESCAPE  AND  CAPTURE.  67 

I  could  for  them — gave  them  plenty  to  eat  and  waited 
my  chances.  At  the  expiration  of  the  sixth  day  I  was 
over  at  Allen's  Fresh  and  heard  the  officers  give  orders 
for  the  cavalry  to  go  down  in  St.  Mary's  County,  that 
the  assassins  were  there.  This  was  my  chance,  and 
mounting  my  horse  I  made  good  time  to  where  Booth 
and  Herold  were  concealed.  Booth  was  glad  to  know 
that  his  time  to  get  into  Virginia  had  come. 

"The  night  was  dark  and  Herold  and  I  lifted  Booth 
onto  my  horse.  I  went  a  little  in  advance  and  Herold 
walked  by  the  horse,  leading  him.  Our  progress  was 
slow,  but  we  finally  reached  my  house  and  I  made  the 
two  men  stay  in  the  orchard  while  I  went  in  to  get 
something  for  them  to  eat.  Booth  wanted  to  get  off 
the  horse  and  go  in,  but  I  knew  it  would  never  do,  as 
there  were  too  many  negroes  about.  His  appeals  were 
pitiful,  but  it  was  the  best  I  could  do. 

"I  had  already  told  my  negro,  Henry  Woodland, 
where  to  leave  the  boat,  and  after  we  got  supper  we 
proceeded  to  the  river.  We  lifted  Booth  from  the  horse 
and  carried  him  to  the  boat  and  placed  him  in  the  stern, 
while  Herold  took  the  oars.  I  then  lighted  a  candle 
and  showed  Booth  by  his  compass  how  to  steer  to  get 
into  Machodoc  Creek,  and  gave  him  directions  to  Mrs. 
Queensberry's,  who  I  thought  would  take  care  of  him. 

"Booth  was  profuse  in  his  thanks  to  me.  and  gave  me 
a  few  dollars  for  my  boat.  He  offered  me  more,  but  I 
thought  he  would  need  money  worse  than  I,  though  it 
was  the  only  boat  I  had.  That  was  the  last  I  saw  of 
Booth. 

"You  remember  my  being  under  arrest  at  Bryan- 
town?"  said  Jones  to  the  captain. 


68  LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 

"Yes;  and,  Jones,  let  me  say  to  you  that  myself  and 
other  officers  believed  that  you  knew  more  than  you 
would  tell,  but  that  sanctimonious  look  of  yours  saved 
you." 

"Well,  I  could  sit  there  and  hear  orders  given  and  re- 
ports received  which  I  knew  were  lies.  Some  of  the 
reports  of  the  scouting  parties  were  lies  made  out  of  the 
whole  cloth,  but  of  course  I  said  nothing.  I  knew  Booth 
had  hit  the  Virginia  shore.  I  was  cursed  and  abused 
until  I  felt  I  could  not  restrain  myself.  Everybody 
seemed  to  have  a  special  spite  at  me.  When  you  posted 
the  bills  ordering  all  citizens  to  join  in  the  search  for 
Booth,  and  that  to  furnish  bread  or  water  to  him  meant 
death,  I  felt  shakier  than  ever.  After  keeping  me  there 
at  the  hotel  several  days  I  was  told  that  I  would  have 
to  come  to  Washington,  and  was  sent  here  in  an  ambu- 
lance in  charge  of  Detective  Franklin,  of  Philadelphia, 
who  used  every  effort  to  get  me  drunk  and  make  me 
tell  what  I  knew.  He  didn't  succeed  by  a  long  jump, 
and  finally  gave  up  and  took  it  out  in  cursing  me.  I 
remained  seven  weeks  in  Carroll  prison,  and  was  not 
used  as  a  witness,  because  nobody  knew  that  I  knew 
anything." 

"Did  you  know  that  Booth  was  going  to  kill  Lin- 
coln?" 

"Upon  the  word  of  a  man  I  did  not.  I  did  know  that 
plans  were  laid  to  kidnap  the  President  and  take,  him 
to  Richmond,  and,  if  the  public  roads  had  not  been  in 
such  an  awful  condition  in  the  fall  and  winter  of  '63 
and  '64,  the  plans  would  have  been  carried  out.  The 
weather  had  been  very  mild  and  the  roads  were  soft 
and  muddy,  making  it  impossible  to  make  good  time. 


BOOTH'S  ESCAPE  AND  CAPTURE.  6& 

Everything  for  this  scheme  was  in  readiness  all  the 
time.  Booth  was  in  it.  Lincoln  could  have  been  caught 
most  any  time  at  the  Navy  Yard  or  at  the  War  Depart- 
ment, where  he  frequently  remained  until  late  at  night. 
It  would  have  been  no  trouble  to  have  crossed  the 
Eastern  Branch  Bridge  and,  with  relays  of  fast  horses, 
Port  Tobacco  could  have  been  reached,  and  across  the 
Potomac  he  would  have  been  sent.  The  boats  and  men 
were  in  readiness  all  the  time.  Booth's  bullet  put  an 
end  to  this." 

"You  were  in  the  secret  service  of  the  Confederacy?" 
"  I  was  chief  signal  agent  of  the  Confederacy  north 
of  the  Potomac,  and  I  may  say  that  I  worked  day  and 
night  for  the  same.  I  had  charge  of  all  rebel  mail  and 
the  boats  along  the  river.  I  seldom  missed  getting  the 
mails  into  Richmond  on  time.  I  took  great  chances  of 
being  killed,  and  when  Richmond  was  evacuated  I  was 
there  to  collect  what  was  due  me,  $2,500,  and  did  not 
get  a  cent  of  it.  I  also  had  about  $3,500  in  Confeder- 
ate bonds.  It  all  went  and  I  was  left  penniless.  The 
war  was  a  bad  thing  for  me  all  the  way  through.  It 
is  pretty  tough  on  me  now  in  my  old  age,  but  I  have 
never  regretted  being  true  to  my  trust." 

After  Jones  left,  Captain  Williams  said:  "  I  have 
dealt  with  and  sized  up  many  men  during  my  life, 
but  that  man  Jones  beats  them  all.  He  has  changed 
very  little  during  the  past  twenty-five  years.  This  is 
the  first  time  I  have  seen  him  since  we  met  at  Port 
Tobacco  and  Bryantown,  and  yet  I  remember  every  fea- 
ture. He  is  a  wonderful  man  and  one  that  when  he 
believes  he  is  right  nothing  can  change.  I  remember 
when  I  made  that  offer  of  $300,000  in  the  saloon,  he 


70 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


BOOTH'S  ESCAPE  AND  CAPTURE.  71 

was  standing  next  to  me  at  the  bar  and  I  could  not  de- 
tect the  least  movement  or  change  of  his  face.  There 
was  something  which  told  me  that  he  knew  where 
Booth  was  or  could  give  me  the  information  which 
would  lead  to  his  capture,  but  he  wouldn't  be  worked. 
No  amount  of  money  or  glory  would  have  tempted  him. 
No  human  being  can  read  his  face  and  tell  what  is 
passing  in  his  mind ;  it  is  like  a  stone.  He  would  have 
gone  the  hemp  route  if  the  facts  he  now  gives  had  been 
known  then.  If  he  had  only  told  me  where  Booth  was, 
Boston  Corbett  would  never  have  had  the  chance  to 
shoot  Booth. 

"  What  a  tragedy  !  What  a  tragedy !  At  10 
o'clock  Friday  night,  April  14,  1865,  Booth  shot  the 
President,  mounted  a  horse,  and  dashed  through  the 
city  and  across  the  Eastern  Branch  Bridge,  stopped  at 
Surratt's  tavern  and  got  his  carbines  and  whisky. 
Here  he  was  joined  by  Herold  and  the  two  proceeded 
to  Doctor  Mudd's,  where  Booth  had  his  leg  dressed,  a 
crutch  made  and  shaved  off  his  mustache.  From  here 
he  went  to  Cox's  and  there  was  placed  in  the  keeping 
of  Jones.  Great  God,  how  my  blood  boils,  and  yet  I 
admire  the  loyalty  and  fidelity  of  Jones.  His  part  was 
the  grandest  of  any  that  was  played.  Nothing  could 
tempt  him  !  In  the  pine  thicket  Booth  was  nursed  by 
his  faithful  friend  until  he  could  be  sent  to  Virginia 
and  meet  his  death  in  Garrett's  barn.  While  the  flames 
swept  around  him  he  stood  like  some  wild  beast  hound- 
ed to  its  death,  and  received  the  bullet  from  Corbett's 
gun.  Mrs.  Surratt,  Lewis  Payne,  George  Atzerodt  and 
David  Herold  paid  the  penalty  on  the  scaffold.  Dr. 
Samuel  Mudd,  Michael  O'Laughlin  and  Samuel  Arnold 


72  LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 

were  sentenced  to  imprisonment  for  life  at  Dry  Tortu- 
gas.  Spangler  got  six  years  at  the  same  place.  Doctor 
Mudd  was  pardoned  afterward  and  is  now  dead.  John 
Surratt,  who  escaped  to  Italy,  was  brought  back  and 
tried.  He  escaped  on  a  plea  of  the  statute  of  limitation. 
Corbett.  who  killed  Booth,  is  in  an  insane  asylum,  and 
Jones  is  here  to  tell  more  than  was  ever  known  be- 
fore." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

MAJOR  RATHBONE'S  AFFIDAVIT. 

The  following  is  the  affidavit  of  Major  Rathbone,  who 
was  seated  in  the  box  with  President  Lincoln  when  the 
assassination  took  place : 

District  of  Columbia,  City  of  Washington : 

.  Henry  R.  Rathbone,  Brevet  Major  in  the  Army  of  the  United  States, 
being  duly  sworn,  says  that  on  the  14th  of  April,  instant,  at  about 
twenty  minutes  past  8  o'clock  in  the  evening,  he,  with  Miss  Clara  H. 
Harris,  left  his  residence  at  the  corner  of  Fifteenth  and  H  Streets,  and 
joined  the  President  and  Mrs.  Lincoln  and  went  with  them  in  their  car- 
riage to  Ford's  Theater,  in  Tenth  Street.  The  box  assigned  to  the  Pres- 
ident is  in  the  second  tier,  on  the  right-hand  side  of  the  audience,  and 
was  occupied  by  the  President  and  Mrs.  Lincoln,  Miss  Harris  and  this 
deponent,  and  by  no  other  person.  The  box  is  entered  by  passing  from 
the  front  of  the  building  in  the  rear  of  the  dress  circle  to  a  small  entry  or 
passageway,  about  eight  feet  in  length  and  four  feet  in  width.  This 
passage  way  is  entered  by  a  door  which  opens  on  the  inner  side.  The 
door  is  so  placed  as  to  make  an  acute  angle  between  it  and  the  wall  be- 
hind it  on  the  inner  side.  At  the  inner  end  of  this  passage  way  is  an- 
other door,  standing  squarely  across,  and  opening  into  the  box.  On  the 
left-hand  side  of  the  passage  way,  and  being  near  the  inner  end,  is  a  third 
door,  which  opens  into  the  box.  This  latter  door  was  closed.  The  party 
entered  the  box  through  the  door  at  the  end  of  the  passage  way.  The  box 
is  so  constructed  that  it  may  be  divided  into  two  by  a  movable  partition, 
one  of  the  doors  described  opening  into  each.  The  front  of  the  box  is 
about  ten  or  twelve  feet  in  length  and  in  the  center  of  the  railing  is  a 
small  pillar  overhung  with  a  curtain.  The  depth  of  the  box  from  front 
to  rear  is  about  nine  feet.  The  elevation  of  the  box  above  the  stage,  in- 
cluding the  railing,  is  about  ten  or  twelve  feet. 

When  the  party  entered  the  box  a  cushioned  arm-chair  was  standing 
at  the  end  of  the  box  farthest  from  the  stage  and  nearest  the  audience. 
This  was  also  the  nearest  point  to  the  door  by  which  the  box  is  entered. 
The  President  seated  himself  in  this  chair,  and  except  that  he  once  left 
this  chair  for  the  purpose  of  putting  on  his  overcoat,  remained  so  seated 
until  he  was  shot.  Mrs.  Lincoln  was  seated  in  a  chair  between  the  Pres 


74 


LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 


-    "• 


MAJOR  RATHBONE'S  AFFIDAVIT.  75 

ident  and  the  pillar  in  the  center  above  described.  At  the  opposite  end 
of  the  box,  that  nearest  the  stage,  were  two  chairs;  in  one  of  these, 
standing  in  the  corner,  Miss  Harris  was  seated.  At  her  left  hand,  and 
along  the  wall  running  from  that  end  of  the  box  to  the  rear,  stood  a  small 
sofa.  At  the  end  of  this  sofa,  next  to  Miss  Harris,  this  deponent  was 
seated.  The  distance  between  this  deponent  and  the  President,  as  they 
were  sitting,  was  about  seven  or  eight  feet,  and  the  distance  between  this 
deponent  and  the  door  was  about  the  same.  The  distance  between  the 
President  as  he  sat  at  the  door  was  about  four  or  five  feet.  The  door, 
according  to  the  recollection  of  this  deponent,  was  not  closed  during  the 
evening. 

When  the  second  scene  of  the  third  act  was  being  performed  and  this 
deponent  was  intently  observing  the  proceedings  upon  the  stage,  with 
his  back  toward  the  door,  he  heard  the  discharge  of  a  pistol  behind  him, 
and  looking  around,  saw  through  the  smoke  a  man  between  the  door 
and  the  President.  At  the  same  time  deponent  heard  him  shout  some 
word  which  deponent  thinks  was  "  Freedom."  This  deponent  instantly 
sprang  toward  him  and  seized  him.  He  wrested  himself  from  the  grasp 
and  made  a  violent  thrust  at  the  breast  of  deponent  with  a  large  knife. 
Deponent  parried  the  blow  by  striking  it  up,  and  received  a  wound  sev- 
eral inches  deep  in  his  left  arm  between  the  elbow  and  the  shoulder 
The  orifice  of  the  wound  is  about  an  inch  and  a  half  in  length,  and  ex- 
tends upwards  toward  the  shoulder  several  inches.  The  man  rushed  to 
the  front  of  the  box  and  deponent  endeavored  to  seize  him  again,  but 
only  caught  his  clothes  as  he  was  leaping  over  the  railing  of  the  box 
The  clothes,  as  deponent  believes,  were  torn  in  this  attempt  to  seize  him. 
As  he  went  over  upon  the  stage,  deponent  cried  out  with  a  loud  voice, 
"  Stop  that  man."  Deponent  then  turned  to  the  President.  His  posi- 
tion was  not  changed.  His  head  was  slightly  bent  forward  and  his  eyes 
were  closed.  Deponent  saw  that  he  was  unconscious,  and  supposing  him 
mortally  wounded  rushed  to  the  door  for  the  purpose  of  calling  medical 
aid.  On  reaching  the  outer  door  of  the  passage  as  above  described  de 
ponent  found  it  barred  by  a  heavy  piece  of  plank,  one  end  of  which  was 
secured  in  the  wall  and  the  other  rested  against  the  door.  It  had  been 
so  securely  fastened  that  it  required  considerable  force  to  remove  it. 
This  wedge  or  bar  was  about  four  feet  from  the  floor.  Persons  on  the 
outside  were  bearing  on  the  door  for  the  purpose  of  entering.  Deponent 
removed  the  bar  and  the  door  was  opened.  Several  persons  who  repre- 
sented themselves  to  be  surgeons  were  allowed  to  enter.  Deponent  saw 
there  Colonel  Crawford,  and  requested  him  to  prevent  olher  persons  from 
entering  the  box.  Deponent  then  returned  to  the  box  and  found  the 
surgeons  examining  the  President's  person.  They  ha.d  not  yet  found  the 


76  LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 

wound.  As  soon  as  it  was  discovered  it-  was  determined  to  remove  him 
from  the  theater.  He  was  carried  out,  and  this  deponent  then  proceeded 
to  assist  Mrs.  Lincoln,  who  was  intensely  excited,  to  leave  the  theater. 
On  reaching  the  head  of  the  stairs  deponent  requested  Major  Potter  to 
aid  him  in  assisting  Mrs.  Lincoln  across  the  street  to  the  house  to  which 
the  President  was  being  conveyed.  The  wound  which  the  deponent  had 
received  had  been  bleeding  very  profusely  and,  on  reaching  the  house, feel- 
ing very  faint  from  the  loss  of  blood,  he  seated  himself  in  the  hall,  and 
soon  after  fainted  away  and  was  laid  on  the  floor.  Upon  the  return  of 
consciousness  deponent  was  taken  in  a  carriage  to  his  residence. 

In  the  review  of  the  transaction  it  is  the  confident  belief  of  this  de 
ponent  that  the  time  which  elapsed  between  the  discharge  of  the  pistol 
and  the  time  when  the  assassin  leaped  from  the  box,  did  not  exceed 
thirty  seconds.  Neither  Mrs.  Lincoln  nor  Miss  Harris  had  left  their 
seats.  H.  R.  RATHBONE. 

Subscribed  and  sworn  before  me  this  17th  day  of  April,  1865. 

A.  B.  OLIN, 

Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  District  of  Columbia. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A  BUILDING  THAT  HAS  A  TRAGIC  HISTORY. 

A  complete  history  of  the  building  in  which  this 
tragedy  occurred  will  be  of  especial  interest.  Ford's 
Theater  was  originally  a  church  and  was  built  by  the 
First  Baptist  congregation,  the  cornerstone  having 
been  laid  in  1833.  It  was  located  on  the  east  side  of 
Tenth  Street,  between  E  and  F,  about  midway  of  the 
square  The  Rev.  Obediah  B.  Brown  was  the  pastor, 
having  been  in  charge  of  that  congregation  for  forty- 
three  years,  commencing  at  the  time  when  the  First 
Baptist  church  was  located  at  the  corner  of  Nineteenth 
and  I  Streets,  Northwest,  in  the  building  now  occu- 
pied as  a  Baptist  church  by  a  colored  congregation. 
The  Rev.  Stephen  D.  Hill  succeeded  Mr.  Brown  as  pas- 
tor in  the  year  1850  and  from  that  time  until  1859  offi- 
ciated in  the  Tenth  Street  church.  The  last  service 
that  he  held  in  the  Tenth  Street  church  was  in  Septem- 
ber, 1859,  and  in  the  latter  part  of  that  year  the  congre- 
gation moved  to  Thirteenth  Street  between  G  and  H, 
where  a  building  for  their  accommodation  had  been 
built.  This  building  had  been  put  up  in  1S52  by 
another  Baptist  organization  which  united  with  the 
Tenth  Street  organization,  making  a  new  congregation 
and  retaining  the  name  and  title  of  the  First  Baptist 
church.  The  Rev.  Isaac  Cole  was  the  pastor  of  the 
Thirteenth  Street  church  and  when  the  two  congrega- 
tions united  he  became  a  joint  pastor  with  Dr.  Hill. 


78  LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 

Rev.  Dr.  T.  C.  Teasdale  succeeded  Dr.  Hill  as  the  prin- 
cipal pastor  of  the  new  First  Baptist  church. 

On  December  10,  1861,  the  trustees  sold  the  Tenth 
Street  church  to  David  W.  Heath  and  he  sold  it  to  John 
T.  Ford.  Mr.  Ford  was  well  known  as  a  theatrical 
manager  and  altered  the  building — which,  though  the 
deed  is  dated  as  given  above  in  December,  had  been  his 
property  for  some  months  previous — so  that  it  could  be 
utilized  for  concerts  and  other  performances.  The  first 
invasion  of  secular  performances  was  by  the  Carlotta 
Patti  Concert  Troupe,  which  gave  two  performances  on 
November  19  and  21,  1861.  The  company  consisted 
of  Miss  Patti,  Madame  Patti-Strakosch,  Signer  Scola, 
Signor  Centimeri,  Harry  Sanderson,  the  pianist,  and 
T.  Schremer.  On  Thursday,  December  5,  following, 
George  Christy's  Minstrels  opened  the  house  which  they 
designated  on  their  program  as  George  Christy's  New 
Opera  House  for  a  short  season.  Among  the  company 
were  Glairville  and  Stratton,  Haslam,  Japanese  Tommy, 
Tim  Hayes  and  C.  O'Neil.  They  ran  until  January 
25,  1862,  when  George  Christy  took  a  benefit,  and  the 
following  week  they  moved  to  Odd  Fellows'  Hall  on 
Seventh  Street.  There  were  then  some  repairs  made 
upon  the  building,  which  was  fitted  up  so  that  complete 
theatrical  performances  could  be  given,  the  stage  being 
widened  and  new  scenery  being  painted.  It  was  opened 
on  Wednesday  evening,  March  19,  1862,  under  the 
title  of  "Ford's  Atheneum "  and  the  initial  perform- 
ance was  the  "French  Spy,"  with  Miss  Lucille  Western 
in  the  title  role.  The  staff  of  the  Atheneum  consisted, 
according  to  the  program,  of  John  T.  Ford,  proprietor 
and  manager ;  John  B.  Wright,  stage  manager ;  Eugene 


A   BUILDING   THAT    HAS    A   TRAGIC    HISTORY.  79 

Fenelon,  late  of  the  great  Ravel  Troupe,  leader  of  or- 
chestra ;  and  it  was  stated  that  the  building  had  been 
reconstructed  by  James  J.  Gifford,  architect  and  builder. 
On  the  31st  of  March  Edwin  Forrest  opened  a  long 
engagement,  appearing  first  in  "  Richelieu."  His  prin- 
cipal support  was  John  McCullough,  George  Becks,  C. 

B.  Harrison  and  Miss  Athena.    Mr.  Forrest  only  played 
on  Mondays,  Wednesdays,  Thursdays  and  Fridays,  and 
on   the  off  nights  John   McCullough  and  Miss  Annie 
Graham  played  the  principal  parts  in  the  "  Maniac,''  and 
the  "Octoroon"  was  also  put  on.     Mr.  Forrest  closed 
his  engagement  of  six  weeks  May  9,  taking  a  benefit 
and  playing  Claude  Melnotte  in  the  "  Lady  of  Lyons." 
On   May  12  James  H.  Hackett  opened  as  Falstaff,  his 
engagement  lasting  until  May  23,  when  he  closed,  ap- 
pearing in  "The  Kentuckian  in  1815,"  and  Mons.  Mallet 
in  a  "  Postoffice  Mistake."     This  closed  the  regular  win- 
ter and  spring  season. 

On  the  28th  and  29th  of  May,  Gottschalk  and  Brignoli 
with  an  Italian  opera  and  concert  company  gave  two 
concerts,  and  on  June  2  the  regular  summer  season 
opened  with  "  Mazeppa;"  Stuart  Robson  and  the  Dwarfs, 
Commodore  Foote  and  Colonel  Small,  being  the  princi- 
pal attractions.  During  this  summer  season,  which 
really  lasted  only  about  three  weeks,  a  play  called  "  The 
Fast  Men  of  Washington  "  was  given.  After  the  sum- 
mer season  closed  a  benefit  was  given  to  the  widow  of 

C.  B.  Harrison,  when  the  play  "All  That  Glitters  is  Not 
Gold  "  was  presented,  with  Dan  Setchell,  John  McCul- 
lough, Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles  B.  Bishop  and  others  in 
the  cast.      In  the  fall  of  '62   the  building  opened  for 
regular  winter  work,  under  the  style  of  Ford's  Thea- 


80  LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 

ter.  Mr.  John  S.  Clarke  was  the  first  star,  opening  in 
"Paul  Pry"  and  "Toodles."  Then  followed  Maggie 
Mitchell  in  "Margot,  the  Poultry  Dealer,"  and  "  Fan- 
chon  "  ;  Gabriel  Ravel  Troupe  ;  C.  W.  Couldock  and 
Miss  Couldock  in  "Gabriel  Cox"  ;  Miss  Caroline  Rich 
ings  and  Peter  Richings  in  the  "  Enchantress." 

On  the  30th  of  December,  1862,  at  half-past  five  in  the 
afternoon,  during  the  engagement  of  the  Richings, 
Ford's  Theater  was  discovered  to  be  on  fire,  and  not- 
withstanding the  exertions  of  the  fire  department  the 
building  was  totally  destroyed ;  and  thus  ended  the  tale 
of  Ford's  Theater,  which  had  been  constructed  out  of 
the  old  Baptist  church. 

Mr.  Ford  was  not  at  all  disheartened  although  his  loss 
was  heavy,  as  was  that  of  the  Richings  Troupe,  which 
had  all  their  wardrobe  destroyed,  but  he  at  once  set 
about  putting  up  another  theater  on  the  old  site.  He 
pushed  the  work  with  his  characteristic  energy  and  the 
present  structure  was  opened  in  August,  1863,  with  the 
"  JSaiad  Queen."  This  was  followed  by  Maggie  Mitch- 
ell and  then  the  other  leading  stars  in  quick  succession, 
and  there  was  no  break  in  its  success  until  the  fateful 
tragedy  on  April  14,  1865.  The  new  theater  was  an 
extremely  well  constructed  house  and  was  perhaps  the 
fashionable  theater  of  its  kind.  It  was  well  furnished 
and  upholstered,  and  Mr.  Ford  from  his  long  experi- 
ence as  a  manager  was  able  to  present  to  the  people  of 
Washington  the  very  best  attractions.  During  those 
times  the  city  was  constantly  filled  with  army  officers 
and  people  who  were  brought  here  by  reason  of  the  war, 
and  Washington  from  a  comparatively  rural  village  had 
taken  on  an  activity  that  had  never  been  dreamed  of. 


A    BUILDING    THAT    HAS    A    TRAGIC    HISTORY.  81 

The  influx  of  soldiers,  the  additional  number  of  Gov- 
ernment clerks  required,  the  presence  of  army  con- 
tractors and  those  who  were  associated  with  them, 
made  money  plentiful  in  Washington,  and  although 
there  was  often  great  anxiety  for  the  troops  at  the 
front,  there  seemed  to  be  no  lack  of  inclination  on  the 
part  of  those  that  were  at  the  Capital  to  witness  good 
performances.  President  Lincoln  was  a  great  theater- 
goer. He  found  rest  from  the  cares  of  the  great  re- 
sponsibility that  was^  upon  him  in  looking  at  a  stage 
performance,  and  the  managers  of  the  different  theaters 
were  always  glad  to  have  him  attend.  On  that  fatal 
night,  even  after  he  had  signified  his  intention  of  being 
present,  he  came  very  near  not  attending,  and  it  was 
some  time  after  the  performance  commenced  before  his 
well  known  form  was  seen  wending  its  way  back  of 
the  balcony  seats  to  the  boxes  which  had  been  prepared 
for  his  occupancy  and  which  had  been  decorated  in  his 
honor.  He  was  recognized  by  the  audience  as  he  took 
his  seat  in  the  box  and  was  heartily  cheered.  Every- 
body was  in  good  humor.  The  long  war  which  had 
cost  so  much  money  and  which  had  evolved  such  an 
expenditure  of  precious  blood  upon  so  many  hard-fought 
fields  was  over.  The  supremacy  of  the  Government 
had  been  vindicated  and  those  lately  in  rebellion  had 
surrendered.  There  had  been  a  succession  of  rejoic- 
ings at  the  National  Capital  and  for  nights  the  city  had 
been  brilliantly  illuminated  in  honor  of  the  victory  of 
the  Union  arms.  Little  did  the  audience  think  as  they 
cheered  the  President,  who  was  perhaps  nearer  to  the 
hearts  of  the  people  than  any  other  man  who  occupied 
that  high  office,  that  a  scene  not  upon  the  bills  but  an 


82  LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 

act  which  would  thrill  them  and  the  whole  world  with 
horror  would  be  so  soon  enacted.  Little  did  Mr.  Lin- 
coln think  as  he  turned  his  face  to  the  stage  and 
watched  the  quiet  humor  of  Asa  Trenchard,  the  an- 
tics of  Lord  Dundreary,  the  pathos  of  Mary  Meredith 
and  the  terrible  lesson  conveyed  in  the  character  of 
Abel  Murcott  in  the  play  of  "Our  American  Cousin," 
that  that  play  would  be  the  last  thing  that  he  would 
look  upon  in  life. 

The  story  of  the  tragedy  has  already  been  told;  it 
need  not  be  again  repeated.  With  this  ended  the  career 
of  the  building  as  a  theater. 

Immediately  after  the  removal  of  Mr.  Lincoln  from 
the  theater  where  he  had  been  shot  to  the  Petersen 
house  across  the  street,  where  he  died,  the  theater  was 
taken  possession  of  by  the  Government,  guards  were 
placed  at  every  entrance  and  for  months  it  remained 
closed,  a  silent  but  eloquent  witness  of  the  fearful  ca- 
lamity that  had  befallen  the  nation.  Finally  the  Gov- 
ernment purchased  the  building  from  Mr.  Ford,  com- 
pletely remodeled  it  and  it  became  a  part  of  the  Surgeon 
General's  Office  of  the  War  Department.  Into  this 
building  was  removed  the  Army  Medical  Museum,  con- 
sisting of  specimens  of  peculiar  wounds  and  diseases 
which  had  been  developed  on  the  field  and  in  the  hos- 
pitals during  the  war,  and  it  was  a  peculiar  coincidence 
that  among  the  exhibits  were  three  of  the  cervical  ver- 
tebrae of  John  Wilkes  Booth,  showing  the  wound  from 
the  bullet  fired  by  Boston  Corbett,  which  ended  the 
life  of  the  assassin.  Thus,  in  the  same  building  in 
which  he  committed  his  crime  was  seen  the  ghastly 
evidence  of  the  manner  in  which  he  paid  the  penalty. 


A   BUILDING    THAT    HAS    A   TRAGIC    HISTORY.  83 

If  there  is  such  a  thing  as  bad  luck  it  seemed  to  fol- 
low this  building,  for  the  terrible  accident  which  took 
place  June  9,  1893,  has  probably  ended  the  usefulness 
of  that  structure,  even  for  Government  employes.  On 
that  day  three  of  the  floors  fell  through,  carrying  down 
with  them  hundreds  of  Government  clerks  who,  but 
a  moment  before,  had  been  quietly  and  faithfully  at- 
tending to  their  business.  The  final  record  of  deaths 
from  this  calamity  was  but  twenty-two,  but  the  serious 
injury  to  many  others  cannot  be  estimated.  This 
frightful  accident  was  a  fitting  termination  to  the  career 
of  the  building  that  had  known  many  vicissitudes  and 
that  started  as  a  Baptist  church. 


CHAPTER  X. 

RELICS  OP  MR.  LINCOLN. 

As  the  result  of  the  patriotic  efforts  of  the  Memorial 
Association  of  the  District,  an  organization  which  has 
already  accomplished  a  great  deal  in  designating  with 
some  permanent  mark  many  of  the  places  of  historic 
interest  in  this  city,  the  house  where  Lincoln  breathed 
his  last  is  now  open  to  the  public.  It  is  a  plain  three- 
story  brick  located  on  Tenth  Street,  just  across  the  way 
from  Ford's  old  theater  building,  and  has  been  used  as 
a  private  residence  ever  since  the  tragedy,  nearly  thirty 
years  ago.  It  has,  however,  undergone  no  changes, 
and  the  long  narrow  room  in  the  first  story  in  the  back 
building  where  the  great  President  died,  is  still  the  same 
as  it  was.  The  association  has  leased  the  building,  and 
it  now  contains  a  remarkable  collection  of  relics  and 
memorials  of  Lincoln. 

This  collection  was  brought  together  by  the  zeal  and 
energy  of  Capt.  O.  H.  Oldroyd,  who  began  as  far  back 
as  the  year  1860  to  collect  everything  that  pertained  to 
the  name  and  fame  of  Lincoln.  He  joined  the  first 
wide-awake  club  before  he  was  a  voter.  As  the  inci- 
dents of  that  time  grew,  and  artists  and  caricaturists 
and  correspondents  increased  and  made  history,  Old- 
royd kept  up  with  the  procession.  He  collected  the 
pictures  of  the  first  stirring  scenes  of  that  period.  He 
gathered  the  badges  of  all  the  political  parties  of  that 
day,  and  they  were  many,  and  the  letter  paper  and  en- 
velopes, and  stamps  and  currency  of  those  days,  all  of 


RELICS    OF    MR.    LINCOLN.  85 

which  had  some  significance,  were  preserved,  together 
with  the  first  accounts  of  the  firing  on  Sumter  and  the 
comments  on  the  same  from  American,  English  and 
French  prints,  and  all  these  he  has  in  his  collection 
systematically  arranged.  He  enlisted  in  1861.  While 
he  was  in  the  army  he  continued  his  collection  of  every- 
thing in  which  Lincoln  was  a  figure.  After  the  war  he 
was  steward  of  the  National  Soldiers'  Home  at  Dayton, 
and  while  in  that  place  his  efforts  to  add  to  his  collec- 
tion were  rewarded,  but  at  considerable  expense. 

Until  the  spring  of  '93  this  collection  was  in  the  house 
in  Springfield,  111.,  which  was  the  home  of  Lincoln  when 
he  was  elected  President.  The  property,  upon  the  death 
of  Mrs.  Lincoln,  came  into  the  possession  of  Robert  T. 
Lincoln,  who,  some  years  ago,  gave  it  to  the  State  of 
Illinois.  Mr.  Oldroyd  was  made  custodian,  and  kept 
his  collection  in  the  house,  where  for  a  number  of  years 
past  it  has  been  one  of  the  points  of  interest  to  visitors 
to  Springfield.  Last  spring,  however,  another  custodian 
was  appointed,  and  so  Mr.  Oldroyd  removed  the  collec- 
tion, which  was  his  personal  property. 

He  accepted  the  invitation  of  the  association  to  bring 
the  collection  to  this  city,  and  has  completed  its  installa- 
tion in  the  old  Lincoln  house.  It  is  hoped  that  the  col- 
lection has  now  found  a  permanent  home,  and  no  doubt 
this  hope  will  be  realized  if  Congress  consents  to  pur- 
chase the  house.  All  told,  there  are  about  2,500  articles 
in  this  collection,  comprising  everything  connected  with 
the  life  of  Lincoln  from  his  earliest  days  down  to  his 
death.  There  are  busts,  pictures  and  medals  almost  in' 
bewildering  variety.  The  pictures,  taken  from  news- 
papers and  photographs  and  sketches,  give  a  vivid  rep- 
resentation of  many  of  the  stirring  scenes  in  the  life  of 


86  LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 

the  martyred  President.  There  are  pictures  of  his  early 
home,  showing  his  humble  origin.  There  is  a  rail  which 
is  vouched  for  as  having  been  cut  by  Lincoln  himself. 
The  collection  of  the  badges  and  medals  used  in  the 
political  campaigns  is  interesting.  The  furniture  in  the 
rooms  was  used  by  Lincoln  and  include  his  office  chairs 
and  the  kitchen  stove. 

Mr.  Lincoln's  place  in  the  current  literature  of  the 
country  is  shown  by  the  library  of  a  thousand  volumes 
which  contain  accounts  of  Lincoln  and  references  to 
him  in  one  capacity  or  another.  Then  there  is  a  book- 
case containing  eighty-six  distinct  biographies  of  Lin- 
coln, from  the  earliest  down  to  the  elaborate  volumes 
of  the  Nicolay-Hay  history.  A  rare  collection  is  some 
350  pamphlets  containing  sermons  delivered  by  minis- 
ters in  this  country,  as  well  as  abroad,  on  the  death  of 
Mr.  Lincoln.  There  is  hardly  a  phase  in  the  entire 
career  of  Mr.  Lincoln  that  is  not  illustrated.  As  an 
illustration  of  the  impress  which  this  man  made  upon 
his  times  the  collection  is  a  wonderful  success. 

Not  the  least  interesting  of  the  collection  is  a  lot  of 
manuscripts  from  distinguished  and  well-known  men  of 
the  country,  each  giving  the  writer's  view  of  Lincoln 
from  his  standpoint.  There  are  over  200  of  these. 
They  were  all  written  at  the  personal  request  of  Old- 
royd.  The  list  includes  such  men  as  Grant,  Sherman, 
Sheridan  and  Hayes.  One  paper  is  from  Dennis  Hanks 
and  another  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Barrows  on  the  religious 
side  of  Lincoln's  life.  A  photograph  of  the  writer  ac- 
companies  each  paper. 

It  is  impossible  to  enumerate  all  the  articles  that  are 
now  contained  in  the  three  rooms  of  the  Tenth  Street 
house. 


EELICS    OF    MR.    LINCOLN.  87 

The  throwing  open  of  this  collection  to  the  public  was 
celebrated  by  a  gathering  of  distinguished  men,  among 
whom  were  the  Vice  President,  Senator  Cullom,  Chief 
Justice  Fuller,  Commissioner  Ross,  ex- Commissioner 
Douglass,  General  and  Mrs.  Schofield,  General  "Wheeler, 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hamlin,  Mr.  T.  W.  Noyes,  Rev.  Dr.  J.  H. 
Elliott,  Bishop  Keane,  Rector  of  the  Catholic  University; 
Mr.  Jere  Wilson,  Mr.  S.  P.  Langley,  Secretary  of  the 
Smithsonian  Institute. 

The  exercises  of  the  evening  consisted  for  the  most 
part  of  speeches.  The  meeting  was  called  to  order  by 
the  Chief  Justice  in  his  capacity  as  president  of  the 
association.  He  spoke  for  a  few  moments  of  the  ob- 
jects of  the  Memorial  Association  as  being  typical  of 
the  growth  of  feeling  throughout  the  country  regarding 
reverence  for  things  historic.  He  said  that  it  was  fit- 
ting that  this  work  of  preserving  historic  relics  should 
be  most  prosecuted  here  in  the  Capital  of  the  Nation. 
Justice  Fuller  then  introduced  Senator  Cullom,  who 
knew  Mr.  Lincoln  longer  and  better  than  any  other  man 
now  alive.  Senator  Cullom  spoke  briefly  but  feelingly 
of  Mr.  Lincoln.  In  fact,  it  seemed  with  this  little  col- 
lection of  people  sitting  about  in  the  parlors  of  this 
curious  old  house,  discussing  the  merits  and  qualities 
of  a  man  who  has  now  been  dead  some  time,  as  though 
they  were  speaking  of  one  who  had  just  passed  away, 
and  whose  death  was  a  personal  blow  to  each  one.  It 
was  an  interesting  and  unusual  evening. 

Senator  Cullom  said  in  the  course  of  his  remarks  that 
nothing  could  possibly  have  gained  his  consent  to  re* 
main  away  on  such  an  occasion.  It  had  been  his  good 
fortune  to  live  in  Springfield,  111.,  the  home  of  Mr.  Lin- 


88  LINCOLN    SOUVENIRS. 

coin  and  the  resting  place  of  his  ashes.  His  memory 
of  the  great  man  ran  back  to  the  time  when,  as  a  small 
boy,  he  used  to  hear  his  father  speak  of  this  rising 
young  lawyer  by  the  name  of  Lincoln.  He  remembered 
that  when  would-be  litigants  would  come  to  his  father 
for  advice  as  to  what  counsel  to  employ  his  father 
would  advise  them  to  secure  the  services  of  Judge  Logan 
if  he  was  there,  referring  to  the  county  seat,  otherwise 
he  would  advise  them  to  go  to  Lincoln,  a  young  man 
who  would  answer  their  purposes  quite  as  well.  Senator 
Cullom  first  saw  Mr.  Lincoln  as  a  lawyer  in  a  murder 
case,  in  which  the  lamented  Colonel  Baker  participated 
as  counsel.  He  still  considered  that  the  greatest  trial 
he  had  ever  seen.  He  knew  Mr.  Lincoln  in  the  hust- 
ings, knew  him  as  a  candidate  for  Congress,  and  in  the 
joint  debate  with  Douglas,  which  is  admittedly  the 
greatest  debate  ever  held  in  this  country.  After  such 
an  acquaintance  he  could  say  that  Lincoln,  all  in  all, 
was  the  greatest  and  noblest  statesman  since  the  days 
of  Washington. 

He  spoke  especially  of  this  building  and  its  possibili- 
ties and  said  that  he  hoped  it  would  be  a  Mecca  for  all 
who  loved  liberty  and  the  name  of  Lincoln. 

Vice  President  Stevenson  was  introduced  to  make  a 
few  remarks,  in  the  course  of  which  he  said  that  it  was 
highly  proper  that  this  gathering  should  listen  to  the 
words  of  an  old  friend  and  neighbor  of  Mr.  Lincoln. 
He  could  but  speak  in  approval  of  all  that  Senator  Cul- 
lom had  said.  In  his  opinion,  the  Government  should 
own  this  building  and  make  it  a  permanent  memorial. 

"I  remember,"  said  the  Vice  President,  "in  a  me- 
morial speech  of  Washington  it  was  said  that  Virginia 


ICS    OF 


RELICS    OF    MR.    LINCOLN.  89 


:gave  him  to  America  and  America  gave  him  to.  the 
world.  So  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  Illinois  had  given  him  to 
America  and  America  had  given  him  to  the  world  and 
to  the  ages.  It  is  proper  that  there  should  be  here  a 
memorial  for  the  children  of  our  land  of  one  of  the 
greatest  and,  even  more,  one  of  the  kindest  hearted 
men  that  ever  lived." 

Bishop  Keane  followed  with  a  brief  address,  in  which 
he  paid  an  eloquent  tribute  to  the  memory  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln. He  said  that  partisanship  is  one  of  the  men- 
aces to  our  land  and  he  thanked  God  that  as  an  offset 
to  such  tendencies  the  memories  of  an  Abraham  Lin- 
coln were  to  be  preserved.  He  then  went  on  to  speak 
-of  the  desirabilities  of  a  country  which  has  so  little  of  a 
past,  marking  with  a  mark  and  a  seal  spots  which  like 
this  should  be  so  dear  to  the  memory  of  all  patriotic 
Americans. 

Dr.  Hamlin  read  letters  of  regret  from  the  Secretary 
•of  State,  ex-President  Harrison,  ex-Vice  President  Mor- 
ton, Cardinal  Gibbons,  President  Gilman,  of  Johns  Hop- 
kins University;  Dr.  Gallaudet,  Dr.  Welling,  of  Colum- 
bian University;  President  Seth  Low,  of  Columbia 
•College;  Mr.  Hornblower,  Justice  Strong,  Mr.  Frank 
Hatton,  ex-Secretary  Noble,  and  President  Hastings,  of 
Union  Theological  Seminary. 


i 


